Bullying in Canada
For almost two decades the PREVNet Scientific Directors and their colleagues have asked many children about their experiences with bullying and victimization. A substantial number of children report that they have been victimized or have bullied others. Here is what children and youth have told us.
Percentage of students who reported being victimized in the past two months.
Source: Craig, W.M., Pepler, D.J., Jiang, D., & Connolly, J. (in preparation). Victimization in Children and Adolescents: A developmental and relational perspective.
Percentage of students who reported bullying others in the past two months.
Source: Pepler, D., Craig, W.M., Yuile, A., & Connolly, J. (2004). Girls who bully: A developmental and relational perspective. In M. Putallaz & J. Kupersmidt (Eds.), Aggression, antisocial behavior, and violence among girls (pp. 90-109). New York: Guilford Publications.
Percentage of students who reported both being victimized and bullying other students in the past two months.
Source: Craig, W.M., Pepler, D.J., Jiang, D., & Connolly, J. (in preparation). Victimization in Children and Adolescents: A developmental and relational perspective.
Bullying in Canada: On the International Stage
Canada needs a national initiative on bullying. Although we pride ourselves on respecting diversity and building community, we are in a dismal position on the international stage. The World Health Organization gathers data on the health of children and youth in many countries. Bullying and victimization are part of this survey. Here is how Canada ranks:
World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2001/2002 survey data for bullying in 13 year old girls and boys
(a) Percentage of children who bullied others 2 or more times in previous months
(Source: Craig and Harel, 2004).
(b) Percentage of children who were victimized 2 or more times in previous months
(Source: Craig and Harel, 2004).
A ten-year perspective on bullying: Better or worse?
As the graphs above reveal, Canada ranked a dismal 26th and 27th out of 35 countries on 13 year-old students’ reports of bullying and victimization, respectively (Craig & Harel, 2004). Across all categories of bullying or victimization, Canada consistently ranked at or below the middle of the international group. Moreover, our position on the international stage across all age and gender categories has slipped relative to other countries.
On the 1993/1994 survey, Canada’s ranking on the prevalence of bullying and victimization was less disappointing than in the 2001/2002 survey (King et al., 1996); however, the rates of bullying and victimization among Canadian students have remained relatively stable.
The drop in Canada’s relative ranking in spite of stable rates, suggests that other countries have been preventing bullying problems more effectively than Canada. Many of the countries that rank higher than Canada, such as Norway and England, have had national campaigns to address bullying problems. The high proportions of Canadian students who report bullying or being bullied confirm that this represents an important social problem for Canada.
Over this 8-year period, the tragic cases of Canadian children who have died or been seriously impaired by bullying raised awareness of the seriousness of bullying problems for both children who bully and children who are victimized. We are concerned because bullying is a relationship problem: the lessons of power and aggression in bullying can transfer to other relationships through sexual harassment, dating aggression, workplace harassment, as well as marital, child, and elder abuse.
PREVNet –
A Solution for Canada
Knowledge about bullying problems and strategies to promote healthy relationships are required in every place where Canadian children and youth live, work, and play. Before PREVNet, the channels that researchers used for knowledge dissemination were inadequate for such a broad and deep reach. The many and diverse bullying prevention activities implemented at local, provincial, and national levels operated in isolation without an evidence-based national platform for coordination and implementation. As a national network, PREVNet is now bringing together researchers and national organizations to: enhance awareness, build research capacity, assess bullying problems, and promote evidence-based programs and effective policies across Canada.
Bullying in Canada
For almost two decades the PREVNet Scientific Directors and their colleagues have asked many children about their experiences with bullying and victimization. A substantial number of children report that they have been victimized or have bullied others. Here is what children and youth have told us.
Percentage of students who reported being victimized in the past two months.
Source: Craig, W.M., Pepler, D.J., Jiang, D., & Connolly, J. (in preparation). Victimization in Children and Adolescents: A developmental and relational perspective.
Percentage of students who reported bullying others in the past two months.
Source: Pepler, D., Craig, W.M., Yuile, A., & Connolly, J. (2004). Girls who bully: A developmental and relational perspective. In M. Putallaz & J. Kupersmidt (Eds.), Aggression, antisocial behavior, and violence among girls (pp. 90-109). New York: Guilford Publications.
Percentage of students who reported both being victimized and bullying other students in the past two months.
Source: Craig, W.M., Pepler, D.J., Jiang, D., & Connolly, J. (in preparation). Victimization in Children and Adolescents: A developmental and relational perspective.
Bullying in Canada: On the International Stage
Canada needs a national initiative on bullying. Although we pride ourselves on respecting diversity and building community, we are in a dismal position on the international stage. The World Health Organization gathers data on the health of children and youth in many countries. Bullying and victimization are part of this survey. Here is how Canada ranks:
World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2001/2002 survey data for bullying in 13 year old girls and boys
(a) Percentage of children who bullied others 2 or more times in previous months
(Source: Craig and Harel, 2004).
(b) Percentage of children who were victimized 2 or more times in previous months
(Source: Craig and Harel, 2004).
A ten-year perspective on bullying: Better or worse?
As the graphs above reveal, Canada ranked a dismal 26th and 27th out of 35 countries on 13 year-old students’ reports of bullying and victimization, respectively (Craig & Harel, 2004). Across all categories of bullying or victimization, Canada consistently ranked at or below the middle of the international group. Moreover, our position on the international stage across all age and gender categories has slipped relative to other countries.
On the 1993/1994 survey, Canada’s ranking on the prevalence of bullying and victimization was less disappointing than in the 2001/2002 survey (King et al., 1996); however, the rates of bullying and victimization among Canadian students have remained relatively stable.
The drop in Canada’s relative ranking in spite of stable rates, suggests that other countries have been preventing bullying problems more effectively than Canada. Many of the countries that rank higher than Canada, such as Norway and England, have had national campaigns to address bullying problems. The high proportions of Canadian students who report bullying or being bullied confirm that this represents an important social problem for Canada.
Over this 8-year period, the tragic cases of Canadian children who have died or been seriously impaired by bullying raised awareness of the seriousness of bullying problems for both children who bully and children who are victimized. We are concerned because bullying is a relationship problem: the lessons of power and aggression in bullying can transfer to other relationships through sexual harassment, dating aggression, workplace harassment, as well as marital, child, and elder abuse.
PREVNet –
A Solution for Canada
Knowledge about bullying problems and strategies to promote healthy relationships are required in every place where Canadian children and youth live, work, and play. Before PREVNet, the channels that researchers used for knowledge dissemination were inadequate for such a broad and deep reach. The many and diverse bullying prevention activities implemented at local, provincial, and national levels operated in isolation without an evidence-based national platform for coordination and implementation. As a national network, PREVNet is now bringing together researchers and national organizations to: enhance awareness, build research capacity, assess bullying problems, and promote evidence-based programs and effective policies across Canada.