As far back as Rodney Ragbir could remember, he wanted to fly airplanes.
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Stop the bullying
Bullying is a serious issue in Trinidad and Tobago and it is rapidly becoming an epidemic. Teenagers are being bullied every day in school and in their community. Bullying consists of three basic types of abuse - emotional, verbal and physical. Physical abuse includes fighting, emotional abuse includes name calling and verbal abuse includes purposeful humiliation of others. Statistics show that 30 percent of teens are estimated to be involved in school bullying as either a bully or a target of teen bullying.
The reasons why teenagers are bullying each other are many. Popular reasons include jealousy, money, popularity and peer pressure or abuse in homes. Eighteen-year-old Maxine who recently left secondary school, said she was bullied in school because she was related to one of the teachers. She disclosed that she used to cry every day and did not want to attend school; she even thought of suicide but said it is not the right thing to do since life is more important. Another person interviewed by the gieNETWORK Magazine disclosed that she was being physically abused in school until her mother visited the school and put a stop to the bullying.
More recently, something called Cyber bullying (also known as cyber staking or cyber-harassment) has developed. Teenagers worldwide can be affected by this. Cyber bullying is when someone is being tormented, threatened or targeted by another person using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It is of utmost importance for all forms of bullying to be dealt with soon. It is becoming more dangerous every time. In our very own country there have been instances where teens have been murdered by teens. Do you really think this should be happening in a sweet country such as ours?
Teenagers need counselling and to help fight bullying parents should always be aware of what is going on in their children’s lives. Know where your children are and what they’re doing at all times. Know their friends and try extremely hard to instil in them sound morals and values. Bullying is a very serious issue. If you are being bullied please find someone you can tell the truth whether it is a teacher, religious leader or your parents. It is important to talk about it before it gets way out of hand. Remember your life is important not just to you but to your parents, friends and many others. Remember too that bullying is never the right way to go in life.