Bullying Advice

Books, DVDs and Projects about Traveller bullying Beat the Bullies Gypsy Traveller Comic strip What to do about Bullying Facts and Figures   If you are being bullied, or know a friend who is being bullied, you can find help and advice below: Bullying includes * People calling you names * Making things up to get you into trouble * Hitting, pinching, biting, pushing and shoving * Taking things away from you * Damaging your belongings * Stealing your money * Taking your friends away from you * Spreading rumours * Threats and intimidation * Making silent or abusive phone calls * Sending you offensive phone texts * Posting insulting messages on the internet or by IM * Bullies can also frighten you so that you don't want to go to school, so that you pretend to be ill to avoid them. If you are being bullied, tell a friend, tell a teacher tell your parents or someone in your family like a grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin. Don't try to fight or box the bullies as you may get into trouble with the school. Prove it! Download Childline's Bullying Diary and show the teacher our your parents what happened and when: www.childline.org.uk/pdfs/bullyingdiary2.pdf Mobile Phones: If you have a mobile phone, be careful who you give your number to. If you receive threatening or abusive phone calls or texts then tell your parents. It is a criminal offence to send offensive or threatening phone messages and if it continues, it can also amount to harassment. If you are receiving threatening or malicious messages by SMS then you can go to the police with all of the messages you have received. If you have the ability to record calls on your handset (this feature is built into most Motorola and some Erickson and Nokia phones) then take the recording too. They will then work with the networks to stop the problem you are having. Stopping receiving SMS If you are receiving SMS that you don’t want, you can easily stop receiving SMS on your handset for a while. Just turning off incoming SMS for a couple of days might stop the person who is texting you, as they may think that you have changed phone numbers. All you have to do to turn off incoming messages is type the code *35*1111*15# into your handset. A couple of days later type the code #35*1111*15# to turn messages back on, and hopefully the person will have gone away. Note that this will stop all incoming text messages, it is not possible to block just one number. If the harassment is more extreme, for example you are getting threatening or malicious phone calls you can change your telephone number. Networks such as Orange will let you change without cost to a new number, and then will place your old number in quarantine for 6 months so that you can change back when the problem has been resolved if you wish. This service may not be available to all pre-pay customers. Useful contact numbers *Orange Contract Customer Service 0800 801080 (opt. 2,2,3,2) or 150 from the handset, free call *Orange PAYG Customer Service 0800 801080 (opt. 2,2,3,1) free call, or 150 from the handset, charged call *Virgin Customer Service 0845 6000789 local rate call or 789 from the handset, 10p (not per minute, just 10p) *Vodafone Customer Service 07836 191 191 national rate call or 191 from a handset, free * One2One 121 from a 121 handset. Thanks to: http://wiredsafety.org/gb/law/spam/uk_cyberbullying.html for this advice Internet: Be careful when you on line. A number of message boards have been used by bullies and anti Gypsy bullies. The CyberPilots E-pal message board is monitored and edited to make sure no bullies ever ever post a message. www.gypsy-traveller.org/cyberpilots/epals.htm "Happy Slapping" Happy slapping is a phyiscal attack, usually a hit/slap on the head, that is videoed/photed on a camera phone. The pictures maybe put on the internet or sent to people using mobile phones. Anyone attacked in a happy slap assault should tell their parents who should make a complaint to the police. Happy Slapping is illegal: It is assault, harassment, and if the pictures are shown around and uploaded to the internet and it may also be against telecommunications law. Anti-bullying Charter The schools' anti-bullying Charter for Action was launched by Ivan Lewis in November 2003 Click here to download PDF document For Help and Advice: Telephone: - Childline Phone 0800 1111   - NSPCC Phone 0808 800 5000 (textphone: 0800 056 0566) - There-4-me NSPCC online advice for 12-16 year olds
Websites - Check out the Anti-Bullying Network: www.antibullying.net in Scotland. There is a Fairground Girl on the website called Amy. See her story: http://www.antibullying.net/ypamy.htm The website believes that children and young people have the right to live, to play and to learn in environments with a non-bullying ethos. - www.anti-bullyingalliance.org
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bullying Lots of lnks and resources if you are suffering from Bullying

- Scotland:

AN UPDATED RESPONSE TO THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO GYPSY TRAVELLERS AND PUBLIC SERVICES 2001, Scotland, June 2004

Recommendation 20
'Monitoring of anti-bullying strategies, use of the anti-bullying network and Childline, should include Gypsy Travellers as a separate ethnic group. Practical guidance on good practice and training to support schools and teachers should include specific reference to issues relating to Gypsy Traveller children.'

The Guidance issued to local authorities and schools addresses the issues of racism and bullying. The Scottish Executive funds the Anti-Bullying Network and the Scottish Schools Ethos Network.