The people we are surrounded by inevitably shape the habits and behaviours we pick up. In the case of school-going children, this effect is multiplied by virtue of being surrounded by peers and friends more than adults. The effects of bullying during childhood are palpable and easy to identify. However, it is assumed that once the affected child grows up, the icicles of pain and trauma melt into the spring of youth. It is this very assumption that leads us to ignore the long-lasting effects that pose a threat to the quality of life throughout one’s life.

Bullying is often understood as an isolated, individual problem—a matter that can be solved through resilience on the part of the victim and imposition of disciplinary action on the bully. However, such a myopic understanding of the phenomenon tends to obscure the larger social impact it has on society. The ripples of emotional scars, social withdrawal, and mistrust experienced by the victims of bullying in childhood eventually transform into surging waves that alter health and behaviour patterns in adulthood.

So far, bullying is only seen as consisting of two stakeholders—bullies who intentionally and systematically abuse the imbalance of power, and victims who suffer. However, there is also a third classification we must familiarise ourselves with—the bully-victims. Bully-victims are those who perpetrate bullying against others, as well as are, or have been, victims of bullying themselves.........

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