Around half of the nation's children are being bullied over their physical development, the Child-ren's Welfare League Foundation said yesterday.
The foundation surveyed 1,212 fourth and fifth graders in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien in June and found that 52 percent had been taunted with sexually themed language in schools. Eighty percent said they saw other children suffering this treatment.
10 percent of survey respondents said they were sad and did not want to live after being bullied with sexual comments.
On average, one out of seven kids were teased over their changing bodies, the survey said.
Among those who were bullied with sexual comments by their peers, 66 percent said they had been verbally harassed over their physical appearance while 51 percent said they had been physical harassed, including having their hips, breasts or genitalia touched.
According to the survey, although 76 percent were angry for being bullied, 36 percent said they were sad, 23 percent said they felt helpless, 14 percent were scared, 11 percent felt shamed, and 10 percent said they felt suicidal.
Foundation chief executive officer Wang Yu-min (
Sexual bullying in primary schools was a common topic raise by callers, Wang said, and one of the most serious problems in schools today.
She said the foundation had received many calls from boys who complained that their classmates had called them effeminate and many girls who complained that their classmates had made fun of their breast size.
Wang said that repeated sexual bullying could hurt a child's body and mind.
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