The school bullying towards young people who arrive in the United States and are not accepted within the student community has increased with the use of social networks, generating the effects of school bullying that endanger their lives due to not having the necessary attention.
Schools have a legal and social obligation to protect students and care for them from falling into acts of bullying that can turn into acts of hate, said Becky Monroe, deputy director of strategic initiatives and external affairs at the California Department of Civil Rights. during a press conference held by Ethnic Media Services.
The specialist commented that there are young people who are facing a situation of gender identity so bullying becomes stronger, for example: a young man of African descent who is also gay could face harassment, discrimination and bullying in an exaggerated way.
"When there is tension and an increase in acts of hate in the community, these are reflected in the schools and among the students as well," Monroe pointed out.
Dashka Slater, journalist for the New York Times, assured that many young people and children fall into acts of hate without being aware, "sometimes they have not really explored who they are and what they see, so they let themselves be carried away by their peers or supposed friends." to enter the "fashion" topics.
An estimated 3 in 4 young Americans ages 15 to 25 have experienced racist content online, and half of that content focuses on race.
Also, 1 in 4 young students ages 12 to 18 have seen racist symbols or demonstrations at their school, while 1.3 million students were victims of bullying during the 2018-2019 school year.
The situation at school becomes dangerous with children and young people who start with a practical joke and then move on to an act of discrimination and hatred because they are not aware of the damage they are causing, he explained.
"We must be aware that children are being radicalized by the content that exists online, and as they consume more content, they are not able to realize how it changes them," Dashka said.
Connie Alexander-Boaitey, president of the Santa Barbara NAACP, commented on some cases of acts of hate that schools are experiencing, which have their origin precisely in the breakdown of communities that, far from caring for each other, hurt themselves.
"We have community leaders, different leaders and we must meet between communities to reach agreements, but this has not happened yet, what stops them is the culture of saving, thinking that it is not necessary and that it is never a big deal," said Connie Alexander in the face of the problems experienced in school facilities.
Mina Fenor, founder and executive director of AAPI Youth Rising, an association that fights for the rights of Asian Americans, explained that they seek to promote inclusive education, unify voices that are against acts of hate and support young people who suffer harassment. school.
"There is a lot of hate on social networks because young people feel protected by not knowing their exact identity, but these same acts of hate on social networks can affect young people in schools," Mina stressed when she said that she has experienced harassment. in his academic life.
Anahí Santos, Youth Welfare Coordinator of One Community Action, is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, she talked about her story and how she has suffered from bullying by the American community but also by Latinos for being called "Oaxaquita", a nickname that refers to to the state from which it originates, a word that seems to be painful and mocking when it should be seen as a form of pride for belonging to this culture.
Santos explained that, in schools, bullying is marked by skin color, in such a way that if you are Latino but your color is light, you will not have to face bullying. However, being dark-skinned regardless of origin, the situation will be complicated. Given this fact, their association fights for a free education, without fear of being hurt or judged for their color, language and origin.
?In the long term, bullying ends up leading to violence, use of weapons, drug abuse and leads to young people ending up in jail. "All this pushes young people to end up on a bad path," said Santos, expressing concern for her classmates and family members who have lived with bullying.
For experts, bullying has not been given the necessary importance, however, bullying has led to unfortunate situations that seem harmless at first, but end up hurting young people and their families, so it should be pay attention to eliminate these acts, prevent and act in time when a case of bullying occurs.
This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, ayou administeredred by the CaliFornia State Library.
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