Health
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Equality Development and Research Centre (EDRC), has decried what it termed “high rate of bullying in the country, especially in schools and work places by people with extra strength.”
The group’s position is expressed in a statement by its Founder, Mrs Marsha Nwanne in Abuja on Friday.
According to her, bullying has become a pandemic in the society that needs to be curtailed before it causes more harm.
She, therefore, stressed the need for legislation that would criminalise the act, just like any other criminal offence in the Constitution.
Nwanne added that the EDRC is set to begin the push for legislation, and will lobby legislators in this direction to combat the ugly trend.
She listed the effects of bullying on individuals to include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), panic attacks, depression, poor concentration, low self-esteem, suicide and a lot more.
She said bullying had caused many organisations retrogression and had led to a situation whereby many staff opted to leave.
The group founder added that “the pandemic of bullying had caused the staff of some organisaions low morale, low productivity, breakdown of trust, failures to meet organisations’ goals and many others.
“Once people realise that what they are doing is wrong and even experiencing it, and it is wrong on all levels, that is the beginning of the story.
“As an NGO, we have come a little further to intervene; we have psycho-social support doctors who are willing to work with us and a lot of them are even on pro bono basis.
“We also have a child psychologist and these are people who intend to break that cycle. Bullying starts at school and moves to workplaces.
“We have a couple of lawyers as well, on pro bono, who intend to assist us in championing this cause.”
She said that EDRC would be advocating for laws that would deal specifically with bullying and would be lobbying legislators on the course to push it forward to combat the ugly development. (NAN)
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Tags: Equality Development and Research Centre Marsha Nwanne PTSD
