Bullied Youngsters 'Carry Weapons'

An increasing number of children claim to carry weapons in order to fend off attacks from bullies, a report has claimed.

The report was written by Roger Morgan, the Children’s Rights Director for England, and states that many children claim to carry objects such as knives and bottles to defend themselves.

The report, called Children On Bullying, said: "Some of our discussion groups told us that when bullying gets serious, a growing way of young people showing that they can defend themselves is to carry a weapon, such as a knife or bottle."

The report also added that bullying by mobile phones and websites was on the rise.

Mr Morgan, who is based at the education watchdog Ofsted, said: "Bullying was once considered the domain of the school playground.

"But more and more children and young people we spoke to are now suffering at the hands of bullies in many places - at home, in the classroom, in the street, and now even online."

Two-thirds of the 319 children surveyed said bullying was getting worse, while findings also suggest young people were worried that experiences of abuse could stay with them for life - and even lead to suicide.

However, the report also found four out of 10 children and young people never worried about bullying.

Children's Minister Kevin Brennan said the report provided "a valuable insight into the views and perceptions of vulnerable children”.

"It is important that we listen to their opinions, learn from their experiences and carefully consider what they have told us," he said.

The minister added: "We agree that bullies must be held to account for their actions and we have given teachers and heads hard-hitting powers to crack down on bullying, including permanent exclusion."

However, he stressed: "We should remember that incidents with knives are incredibly rare."

(NS)