Bullying poses a huge threat to the victim’s health and development, with a recent research showing that the effects may lingers for decades.

There’s really no point in denying the fact that the fight against bullying isn’t going too well. Any efforts to curb it end up becoming a game of “Whack-a-Mole”, with the threat shrinking temporary, only to resurface in a more menacing form. The situation seems dire, but it’s not hopeless and that is exactly the message promoted by Pink Shirt Day. The event rekindles hope by encouraging people to unite against the threat and celebrate diversity, a popular target for bullies. Considering the short and long term effects of bullying, the world clearly needs more initiatives like the Pink Shirt Day to fight against the threat and show solidarity with the victims.

The Cruel World of Bullying

High school bullying is a threat that no kid is safe from, though some are more susceptible to it than others. With bullies using anything from gender, religion and ethnicity to sexual orientation and disability as an excuse to torment their victim, the net is unfortunately pretty wide and thus extremely hard to dodge. With bullies having little to no tolerance for difference, it was hardly surprising to learn that the anti-bullying ambassador and top world beat boxer Pau Tokia-Love had been picked on regularly during childhood because of the way he used to talk and walk. Being deaf, chubby and brown, it wasn’t easy for him to get around school without attracting the attention of bullies, who would target him while the whole school would just stand and watch.

The Wounds Linger for Decades

Bullying has been getting a significant amount of attention lately, and rightly so. The threat doesn’t play by any rules and continues to affect the victims for years. According to a new research by Victoria University, the effects of childhood bullying last for years. It is true for both the bullied as well as the bullies. According to researcher Jaime Stuart, those who’ve been bullied as kids have a greater probability of suffering from depression and developing a feeling of isolation during their adulthood. On the other hand, the bullies are more likely to become smokers and suffer long-term illnesses. This is not the first study that has highlighted the far-reaching consequences of bullying and definitely not the last.

An Uphill Battle

Despite the growing awareness, bullying continues to remain a pandemic. The situation has turned even more complicated with the advent and prevalence of technology. It has added a new dimension to the problem, with the victims struggling to recognize the insidious threat even when they’re getting severely affected by it. Such is the complexity of the problem that even though it is widely recognized and rejected by the masses, it continues to persist just as strongly as ever.

Uprooting bullying from the system once and for all may be an extremely tough challenge, but it’s nothing impossible. Initiatives like the Pink Shirt Day bank on the hope that people can defeat the threat by taking a united stand against it.