Pioneering studies by Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus which commenced in the 1970's has found that playground bullies were 4 times as likely to become juvenile delinquents or adult offenders. Studies show that 60% of bullies in early secondary school in Norway, had at least one conviction by the age of 24.

The first national survey on bullying in the U.S. produced some alarming statistics. 30% of students from grades 6 – 10 were found to be involved in moderate or frequent bullying, as bullies, as victims, and sometimes as both. Not all bullying is physical in nature, with evidence that the long term effects of both mental and verbal abuse can be just as destructive. Coping with such harassment has a way of infiltrating not only your emotional world, but can often result in poor academic performance, absenteeism from school, and anti social behaviour both at school and at home.

Bullying is increasingly regarded as being an important contributor to youth violence, including assault, homicide and suicide. Studies of the incidences of school shootings in the U.S. have suggested bullying was a factor in many cases, with the consequence that now 100,000 American school children carry a gun to school. That may sound extreme, but for those who constantly bear the brunt of someone else's abuse, the idea of protecting oneself in such a way can seem logical, while for others the desire for revenge can result in catastrophic consequences.

Of the 5,000 children studied in South Australia, the research found that many victims wouldn't report bullies either to their teachers or their parents, with 60% looking to their friends for support. Probably the saddest thing is that the children who are the victims believe there are few or no adults who understand the complications of their life in order to wisely assist. In fact many parents and teachers have made it worse by making a knee jerk reaction, or blaming the child for being a wimp.

In the recent movie Bridge to Terabithia we see the most troubling force in a kid's life could be the fear of a bully on the school bus. Imagine being a school girl and being desperate for the loo and finding that the school bully is standing at the door of the toilets demanding money before you enter! There was a welcome relief for the main characters Jesse (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) as they entered a fantasy world in the woods that provided the perfect escape. But not every kid has the opportunity to find an escape, or a friend to escape with, so how do we intervene in such a way that there can be a positive outcome?

We can throw up our hands in horror and blame the TV, or we can see these vulnerable kids and their torture as an early warning system of an increasingly dehumanizing society.

It could very well be that the insults and selfish attitudes dished out and received on a daily basis produce bullies. The Old Book says, those who don’t care for their own families are worse than the rest. Maybe it’s time to stop delegating the future of our children and therefore our community's and society's future to educators, counsellors, welfare workers, employers and political legislators. Admittedly they all have a vital role in providing safe and stable structures in which to live and work, but ultimately it is how we treat one another every day that will bear the test of time and show the real health of our environment.

No matter what the study, behind each of the statistics is a sad story, a victim who feels powerless to change their circumstances. In the past the Golden Rule, to treat others as you would have them treat you, was seen as a value to uphold. For some this has gone by the wayside and seen as old fashioned, but to be valued as an individual, to be seen as unique, to be loved and respected as we each deserve, and in return do the same for others, could go a long way to reversing those statistics.