Title
To recognize National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month in the City of Columbus and to thank Eryn Pink Ltd. for their commitment to empowering others to be a voice against bullying.
Body
WHEREAS, bullying is comprised of direct behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing that are initiated by one or more individuals against a target, as well as indirect behaviors such as spreading rumors and acting in ways that cause people to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion, with all such behaviors, direct or indirect, amounting to physical, emotional or psychological intimidation occurring repeatedly over time to create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse; and
WHEREAS, people who stand by passively watching or actively encouraging bullying, also known as bystanders are also affected by these hostile acts; they encourage bullying by creating an audience, they may become desensitized to cruelty, they may learn to imitate bullying behavior and become bullies themselves, and/or they may be fearful for their own safety, adding to their own insecurity; and
WHEREAS, bullying in schools and the workplace is a pervasive problem that can have negative consequences for the climate and for the right to learn and work in a safe environment without fear, and one that can have negative lifelong consequences, both for those who bully and for their targets; and
WHEREAS, cyber-bullying in some ways has become the predominant issue facing society; cyber-bullying is interpersonal and includes aggressors, targets and bystanders; it involves peer acceptance, recognition and occasionally retribution; cyber-bullying generally contains perceptual distortions, however children who are involved with cyber-bullying other children often do so with the misplaced belief that they are joking; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council and the City of Columbus supports policies and programs that address the prevention, intervention, and eliminatio...
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