Opinion: Bystanders as bad as bullies in school abuse scourge

There’s a chilling aspect of this week’s horrific gang bashing of a Brisbane schoolgirl, and it doesn’t involve the bullies, writes Kylie Lang. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Sickening, disgusting, disturbing – whatever adjective you apply to the horrific bashing of a 13-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl by four older students this week must also be used to describe the bystanders.

Cowards cheered on the violence while the victim, her face split open and bleeding after repeated kicks and punches, begged for someone, anyone, to help her.

Footage of the attack – because, of course, someone filmed it in the name of entertainment – shows the Holland Park State High School student being beaten almost literally senseless.

One mother who watched the unedited five-minute recording likened it to a mixed martial arts kickboxing fight.

Expressing her dismay on a community Facebook page, she wrote: “Oh my freaking God … it reminded me of the MMA no-holds-barred tag-team kickboxing fights I’ve seen, for crying out loud. You could hear her (the 13-year-old) gasp and cry out, ‘help me’, as each continuous blow landed.

“And not one person stepped in to help her! What the hell are parents teaching their kids, or not teaching them, for that matter?”

The woman, who feared the attack would be “swept under the carpet by the schools and the education department once again”, said it was time for meaningful action.

I couldn’t agree more.

When violence and other forms of anti-social behaviour are tolerated, then they are condoned.

And school codes of conduct and policies on bullying are useless if not enforced and not fully understood and accepted by students.

Clearly, no child in this week’s incident was considering words on a website.

While schools are not fully responsible for students’ behaviour – because much is taught in the home and by society – they do have a duty to protect those in their care.

Enlisting the support of the student body is crucial in the buy-in.

If, for example, in that crowd of bystanders a few had stepped in to stop the fight, showing empathy instead of egging it on, there would have been a different outcome.

If bullies are told by their peers that their behaviour is not cool, they’re less likely to keep at it.

But the “bystander effect” is all too prevalent.

The term was coined by social psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley after the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York in 1964. The 28-year-old bartender was stabbed to death in her apartment complex as witnesses refused to help or call the police.

Latané and Darley found the bystander effect was distinguished by two factors: diffusion of responsibility and social influence.

The more onlookers, the less personal responsibility individuals will feel to do something, and they will be more influenced by the behaviour of those around them.

The costs of standing by and doing nothing are high in dollar terms as well.

Another still from the appalling video

Results from a 2018 study by PwC and commissioned by the National Centre Against Bullying show the costs of bullying in Australian schools is a whopping $2.4 billion.

This takes in the costs while children are in school and for 20 years after they leave, including on productivity, chronic health issues, and impacts on family and other members from family violence.

Bullying has lasting ramifications.

And the problem is getting worse, with social media giving bullies a 24/7 platform inside and outside the school gates.

The influence of peer bystanders cannot be overstated.

Analysing numerous studies, Hong Kong-based researchers Sandra Tsang, Eadaoin Hui and Bella Law conclude that “bystanders assume roles equal to, if not more important than, those of bullies and victims in steering the course and outcome of bullying”.

The challenge for schools, they argue, is to develop young people who have strong self-esteem, self-efficacy and self-determination.

Because guess what? Ineffective bystanders also suffer. They may harbour guilt for not helping, have distorted views of personal responsibility and become numb to anti-social behaviour, well into adulthood.

Yes, schools need to do more to stop bullying but creating positive, empathetic bystanders is a responsibility to be shared by families, community groups and broader society.

Give kids the tools to stand up and be counted, and they will.

Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail

LOVE

Opera Queensland’s The Marriage of Figaro. It’s a great modern take on a classic, with all the right ingredients: laughter, love, Mozart, and wonderful singing in Italian (with projected subtitles). It’s on at QPAC until July 30.

The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson on the late Princess Diana: “If she were sitting with me right now, I know she would say, ‘I am so proud of both of my boys and the wonderful wives they have chosen’. Because each has got her own voice,” she told People magazine.

LOATHE

The sudden death of a Beaudesert cafe owner and 32-year-old mother of three, attributed to relentless bullying. Karlie Cassidy’s family say she finally has “peace” from her tormentors. Tragic.

The rotten luck of Aussie tennis star Alex de Minaur, out of the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive to Covid-19 in pre-departure swabs. Poor kid.