What is the role of a bystander?

If you don’t know what a bystander is, it’s someone who witnesses an act of bullying. If you know bullying is happening, but don’t do anything about it, that can be as bad as the bullying itself.

At Bully Free Zone and across the anti-bullying sector, we try our best to pass the message on that bystanders must act. We don’t mean you should jump in and stop a bully if they’re physically attacking someone, but you could go and get help. In schools, there is sometimes a culture where the other young people stand around shouting ‘fight’. If just one of those young people went to get a teacher, maybe something can be done to stop what is happening.

When Carol Hill, a dinner lady, pulled a group of boys away from attacking a 7 year old girl with a skipping rope, she didn’t stand by and watch it happen. She stopped the incident.

On seeing the girl’s parents outside of school, Mrs Hill, after the school informed the parents of a ‘skipping rope incident’, told them that she believed it to be an act of bullying. This was considered a breach of ‘pupil confidentiality’ by the school and Mrs Hill was later sacked.

After a battle to save her job, Mrs Hill won a case of unfair dismissal last week, which should allow her to return to her job.

I will ask again, what IS the role of a bystander? As an adult employee at the school, does Mrs Hill have a responsibility to help ensure the safety of its pupils? When faced with parents who know only what they’ve been told and perhaps not the full story, would you act any differently? If it had been another parent who had witnessed the bullying and passed on the information, would they have been in as much trouble?

We believe bullying is EVERYONE’S responsibility, if you see it happen, you can help stop it.