CHILDREN NEED TO KNOW WHO TO ASK FOR HELP ON BULLYING - LORELY BURT MP

10.41.29am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 24th Nov 2006

One in five young people who did not seek help after witnessing bullying said that it was because they did not know who to ask, according to a new survey released to mark Anti-Bullying Week 2006 (20-24 November).

The survey, carried out by BMRB for the Anti-Bullying Alliance, found that 56 per cent of 7-18-year-olds had seen another young person being bullied in the past year. Of these young people, 61 per cent asked for help to stop the bullying - but over a third (38 per cent) did not.

Reasons for staying silent included not knowing who to ask (21 per cent), thinking it was none of their business (17 per cent), not wanting to be called a 'snitch' (14 per cent), or the fear that they would be bullied too (14 per cent).

Lorely Burt MP said;

"The survey highlights issues raised by the Anti-Bullying Week campaign, which this year focuses on supporting children and young people to speak out when they witness bullying.

"Evidence suggests that changing the attitude of bystanders is a key factor in tackling and preventing bullying."

"Children and young people need the confidence to get help whenever and wherever they see bullying - and they need to see adults in their lives take action to tackle bullying and prevent it from happening again."

Gill Frances, Manager of the Anti-Bullying Alliance said:

"It's great news that the majority of children and young people who witnessed bullying felt able to ask for help, but as the poll shows, we need to do much more to break the culture of silence in which bullying can thrive."

Anti-Bullying Week is coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which is supported by the Department for Education and Skills. The week aims to raise awareness of the damage bullying can cause, and to give teachers, parents, children and young people the message that together we can stop it. This year 200,000 children and young people will be wearing limited edition blue lanyards to show their support for Anti-Bullying Week.