IndexIntroductionBeing bullied and hate crimesDamage of physical bullyingDamage of verbal bullyingBeing social bullyingDefinition of cyberbullyingDefinition of hate crimeEffects of bullying and hate crimesPrevention of bullying and of Hate CrimesGetting Help: For Those Who Are Being BulliedStatistics DataConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionMany people are unaware that, in most cases, bullying appears to be a "junior" or "apprentice" version of adult hate crimes. Demonstrating that what may seem like harmless teasing at a young age can become a serious crime as the person matures. Because many people are unaware of the severity of bullying and hate crimes, it is critical that all those who are unaware know the truth about the effects that bullying and hate crimes have on adolescents and their prevention. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Being a Victim of Bullying and Hate Crimes There are some aspects of bullying and hate crimes that are similar, however, there is also a thin line that separates the two. According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is an aggressive, unwanted behavior among school-age children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. According to fbi.gov, a hate crime is a crime against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by the offender's bias against the offender's race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or identity. type. There are different types of bullying: physical, verbal, social and cyberbullying. However, regardless of the type of bullying, bullying behavior is always aggressive towards the person being bullied and consists of an imbalance of power and repetition. Bullies often attempt to create a power imbalance by using aspects such as physical strength, embarrassing information, and/or popularity as a means to intimidate. In this way the bully manages to gain control over others. This leads to repetition or continuation of the action performed. For an act to be considered bullying, the bullying behavior must occur more than once or have the potential to continue to occur. This is how small situations turn into bigger problems that need to be addressed. Harm of Physical Bullying Physical bullying consists of everything from hitting, kicking, pushing, and damaging property, to fistfights, being personally attacked, and sexual violence. Bullying occurs consistently in all school settings, from kindergarten through college. Physical bullying is more likely to occur among males than females, although it is not at all uncommon for females to experience physical bullying. Bullies are often physically stronger than their victims and have friends or colleagues who condone or even encourage their behavior (Better Help). Victims are therefore usually physically and/or mentally weaker than their bully, which can make it easier for the bullying act to occur and continue. Victims may also be socially marginalized due to their weight, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, appearance, gender, or any other characteristic that makes fitting in much more difficult (Better Help). The damage done by physical bullying can cause both long-term and short-term harm to the person being bullied. Harm of Verbal Bullying The next type of bullying is verbal bullying which involves teasing, insults, intimidation, homophobic or racial comments, and/or verbal abuse. This type of bullying is usually mistaken for "just a joke" or "anormal teasing". This can lead to verbal bullying being overlooked by many adults, including teachers. Unlike physical bullying, verbal bullying is more common among women than among men (verbal bullying). Verbal bullying It is just as bad as physical bullying and just as harmful, if not more harmful, than physical bullying. When bullies have verbal bullying in mind, the goal is to degrade and belittle the person being bullied, making themselves appear more powerful and dominant type of bullying is a way for teenagers to bully others more subtly and avoid getting into trouble (verbal bullying). Verbal bullying starts out as harmless, however, over time it can cause mental effects. Being socially bullying Another type of Bullying is social bullying or covert bullying. It is done behind the person's back and is done to damage a person's reputation and sometimes cause humiliation. It involves the spread of rumors, threatening looks, social exclusion and damage to social reputation (Social Bullying). Social bullying is more likely to affect women than men and can include leaving someone out on purpose, telling others not to be friends with someone, embarrassing someone in public, and other harmful things done to influence how others others see a person (social bullying) . Social bullying can be used to achieve or maintain social standing, gain attention, or relieve boredom in response to threats, feelings of anger, jealousy, or betrayal. Definition of Cyberbullying Finally, bullies take part in cyberbullying using technologies such as smartphones and software such as social media, text messaging, and websites. Cyberbullying often consists of harmful texts, images or videos, and gossip, rumors and imitations of others (cyberbullying). Many photos, messages or pages are not removed even if they are deleted, which can cause one person to be bullied by multiple people and can cause previously harmful posts or images to resurface online (cyberbullying). This type of bullying can also be much easier to commit than other types of bullying since the bully does not need to confront the target and social media is not constantly supervised by adults or teachers (cyberbullying). This is why cyberbullying is particularly harmful; because it can be anonymous, difficult to trace and difficult to control (cyberbullying). Definition of Hate Crime For any action to be considered a hate crime, it must firstly constitute a crime under criminal law, and secondly, the person must have the motivation to commit it. the crime based on partiality. The term “hate” does not always have to mean actual hatred towards something, and the person committing the hate crime need not feel anger, rage or general dislike towards the person on the receiving end. Hate in this context generally means being against a person or group with specific characteristics defined by law. Hate crimes can be committed based on negative thoughts/opinions, stereotypical assumptions, or intolerance toward race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or perceived or real disabilities of the victim. The crime is often violent and includes assault, murder, arson, vandalism, or threats to commit such crimes. Although hate crimes can be classified along with other crimes, specific hate crime laws exist because hate crimes have a greater effect than most crimes due to the fact that hate crimes do not involve only the victim butthey also involve others like that person. of the LGBQT community are consistently targeted for bias-motivated crimes, also known as hate crimes, because of their identity and sexual orientation. Over the past two years, over 50 people from the LGBTQ community have been killed. The “epidemic of violence against LGBTQ people, particularly transgender women of color, is staggering” (HRC). In the last two years, over seven thousand incidents have been reported per year and crimes directed against transgender people have increased significantly (HRC). However, it is not only LGBTQ people who are affected by hate crimes and racially motivated crimes remain the most common hate crimes with nearly as many race-based hate crimes against African Americans. Effects of Bullying and Hate Crimes According to the Centers for Disease Control, bullying is a serious threat to our youth today because it affects 20% of high school students and cyberbullying affects 16% of high school students. Bullying can have both short and long-term effects and consequences for the victim and the bully. All adolescents are affected by bullying in different ways, during and after bullying and therefore have different behaviors and reactions to being bullied. Keep in mind that with relational aggression and cyberbullying on the rise, bullying can last for long periods of time before it is reported by the victim to a teacher, parent, or any adult for help. The victim of bullying may begin to reflect some or all of the following effects. Social isolation, feelings of shame, sleep disturbances, changes in eating habits, low self-esteem, school avoidance, anxiety symptoms, bedwetting, higher risk of disease, psychosomatic symptoms (physical complaints with no known medical cause), poor academic performance, and symptoms of depression. With all of these potential effects, it is important for parents and school officials to pay attention to what is happening around them and their students because the effects can sometimes be very dangerous to students' health, both physical and mental. Contrary to popular belief, the bully can also suffer the effects of his own bullying. Some examples of possible short-term effects of bullying are poor academic performance, due to days missed due to suspensions; increased risks of unjustified absences, due to the adoption of multiple bad habits after bullying; difficulty maintaining social relationships, when classmates do not want to associate with a bully; and increased risk of substance abuse, to help you forget or feel less guilty about bullying others. Some of the long-term effects of bullying for the bully, which usually extend into adulthood, are the risk of abuse of the husband or children, the risk of antisocial behavior, substance abuse, and a lower likelihood of receive education from workers. People who are victims of violent hate crimes are more likely to experience greater psychological distress than victims of other violent crimes. These victims are also more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), safety concerns, depression, general sense of fear, hopelessness, anxiety, and anger than victims of non-bias-motivated crimes. Hate crimes can make people in the victim's community feel like they are not welcome or fear being treated the same way. For this reason, many people from the same group begin to feel unsafe in their own community. Overall, hate crimes can affect an entire group anddecrease the sense of security and protection. Furthermore, witnessing discrimination against others belonging to one's group can lead to psychological distress and lower self-esteem. It is important for people to know that hate crimes have increased over the years, so the number of people experiencing these effects is increasing. Preventing Bullying and Hate Crimes There are many ways to stop and prevent bullying in schools. The first thing everyone: students, teachers and parents should do is pay attention to what is happening. There may be signs that a student is being bullied. For example, unexplained injuries, lost or destroyed personal items, changes in eating habits, and avoidance of school or social interactions. It can sometimes be difficult to find these signs in any student who is being bullied, but realizing that a person is capable of doing so can make a big difference in the situation, its duration, and the outcome. Adults and students also need to remember to never ignore situations, even if they seem like harmless teasing. You should at least have a conversation with the students to make sure it is not serious. Students also have different levels of coping skills and so what may work well for one student may not be easy for another. Even if it's a fellow student, if they see something wrong they should try to do something about it. Informing a teacher or the teacher in charge of the situation can help the person being bullied, even if just a little. All schools should help students fully understand bullying and how it affects others. Students can also be taught how to stand up to bullies so that everyone tries to prevent and stop bullying. Children and parents can also join organizations like the Anti-Bullying Alliance and BeatBullying. Being part of these types of organizations can allow people to support the fight against bullying everywhere and not just in a student's school. This can increase the popularity of the organization and convince more people to join and help out. Hate crimes can cause pain and injustice in communities that negatively impact our society, while also causing fear and tension that affects everyone (Prevent). Schools, families, law enforcement and communities are able to work together to prevent the development of prejudicial attitudes and violent behaviors that lead to hate crimes, in children and adolescents. Prejudice and violence can be reduced by teaching adolescents appreciation and respect for people with differences and by teaching them empathy, conflict resolution, and critical thinking skills (Prevention). By teaching young people that hating or disliking people who are different is wrong, the world will become a better place as people will be able to prevent extreme acts of hate in the future. Some schools have already taken action by creating comprehensive anti-hate policies and programs that involve the entire school community (Preventing). To prevent hate crimes, even more school districts should agree to represent anti-hate ideas and encourage students to accept and embrace people's differences (Prevention). People may also learn about people of different races, religions, and/or ethnicities as a way to understand them better and possibly realize that just because a person is different, doesn't mean they deserve hatred directed towards them. Get help: for Teens who are bullied are constantly bullied everywhere and in situations where they usuallyyou can't solve them on your own, teenagers are able to get help. If there has been a crime or someone is at risk of harm, they should call 911 (Stop Bullying). IF anyone is feeling hopeless and contemplating suicide, then they should contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This number connects to centers that provide mental health counseling and referrals. If there is someone who behaves differently or it is for personal reasons, it is easy to find a local counselor or other mental health services (Stop Bullying). Many schools also have in-house counselors that students can talk to during school hours, which can be free. If a student becomes aware that another student is being bullied, he or she should contact the teacher, school counselor, principal, school superintendent and/or state department of education. The person being bullied should also be encouraged to talk to someone about what is happening and should at least tell their parents (Stop Bullying). If bullying is a serious problem in a school and the school does not adequately address diversity-based harassment, anyone can contact the school superintendent, state department of education, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Justice. United States (Stop Bullying). If you are a victim of a hate crime or know someone who is a victim of a hate crime, then there are some things you can do to get help. You should trust yourself and if you feel that you are in danger then you can decide and call 911 for immediate assistance. Where you can ask for an emergency protection order against the person (Hate). It is also helpful to record what is happening to the victim, such as important details and hateful language or dialogue for a case against the person who committed a hate crime. The victim should also file a police report to get legal help in case the situation is too difficult to handle alone (hate). However, if the victim does not want to trust people they do not know, they can count on trusted friends and family. Together with friends and family, the victim will not have to decide alone what to do and will have the support of loved ones, which can be useful after experiencing a hate crime (Hate). They may also turn to a supporter for more support (Hate). There are local, state, national and global groups that support anti-hate ideas or are made up of victims of hate crimes who want to help others or share their stories. Where the victim could get appointments for help, courage to stand up to the person committing a hate crime, or even get someone to talk about your behavior if they don't feel comfortable or can't do it themselves (hate ). Statistics Data“In 2018, 7,120 incidents of hate crimes were reported, slightly lower than in 2017, when 7,175 incidents of hate crimes were reported” (HRC).“In 2018 we know that at least 28 transgender people were killed violently. So far in 2019, 22 transgender or gender non-confirmed people have been killed” (HRC). Conclusion Adolescence is the age when bullying is most common, with almost all adolescent students affected directly or indirectly by bullying. This is an age when young people most want to fit in with their peers, making some students more likely to bully or condone bullying to fit in, while those who don't fit in stand out more as victims. Although less common than bullying, hate crimes also have a large impact on teenagers and cause students to feel unsafe,/.