One in two of Filipino school children bullied, abused: study
Agence France-Presse | 11/27/2008 8:09 PM
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MANILA - One in two school children in the Philippines are bullied or suffer from other forms of abuse inflicted by peers or teachers, according to a study released by a child rights monitor on Thursday.
The abuse, on top of widespread poverty, might help explain the relatively high dropout rates in primary and secondary schools in the country, said Britain-based Plan International.
The group released the results of a study conducted last year on 2,442 children in 58 public schools by the Philippine Women’s University School of Social Work.
It showed that at "least five out of 10 children in Grades 1-3, seven out of 10 in Grades 4-6 and six out of 10 in high school have experienced some kind of violence in school."
Verbal abuse, including ridicule, teasing, being shouted at or cursed "is the most prevalent form of violence at all levels with male children more likely to experience physical violence,’ the study said.
The victims' peers, more than adults, are the perpetrators, it said.
Most incidents go unreported due to fear of retribution, it added.
"Past incidents have taught us that school-related violence against children and the youth has always been detrimental to the realisation of the children’s full potential," said Plan International country director Michael Diamond.
