Opinions

Bullying in the Nigerian society must stop

BEING fat, obese, or physically challenged now looks like the worst disease around the world. Nigeria is not excluded and this is owing to the rate at which fat people or people with disabilities are treated by the community, their peers, even by teachers, families and friends. It is unbearable. They seem to be treated like outcasts or like a nobody. Being big in size or disabled is not a thing of choice but a thing of circumstance. Some children acquire their size through heredity; that is from their parents and families and some were just born big while some with disabilities were born that way and some disabilities were caused through circumstances. Bullying and body shaming involves humiliating a person by making inappropriate or negative comments about their body size or shape. Bullying can be physical, verbal, emotional, cyber, etc. It must stop so that the great leaders of tomorrow can grow. If a child is born and isn’t fed or fed well, he or she won’t grow and it can even lead to the death of such a child. This means that if bullying and body shaming of people, most especially the young ones, students and the youth is not stopped, our chances of becoming a better nation will be impeded.

It is heartbreaking to note that most occurrences of bullying which is mostly caused by the urge to body-shame happens in the school, be it nursery, primary, secondary or tertiary. Each school year is an opportunity for kids to make new friends, learn new things, grow, and enjoy along the way. For some, every passing year means adding on to the fantastic memories and experiences of the previous year but for others, each day becomes a dreadful nightmare. Why, you ask? The relentless and unremitting culture of bullying and body shaming makes it hard for them to crawl out of bed and drag themselves to school. Bullying and body shaming can adversely affect the mental health and wellbeing of children and the youth. The experience introduces depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem that eventually engulfs their lives.

A young girl once spoke to me about how badly she had been bullied in her school and I was baffled by what I heard. I suppose that school is a place of learning. It is a place where the educated experts teach children good moral conduct, adds more wisdom to their instincts and help them determine the path they will like to follow to make the world, people around them and their surrounding a better place, but this is not necessarily the case. This young mind was even body-shamed and bullied by her teacher all because she is big in size. She happens to be a child with a weak emotional strength so she couldn’t say anything but receive those insults. This act shut down some of her dreams and skills. This girl was also bullied by her peers during recreational activities and sports. She loved football and basketball but that skill was shut-off by her peers. She could ordinarily become one of the best female footballers of her time or basketball player but now she says she is even ashamed to walk or talk in the society let alone engage herself in any sport.

Being a physically challenged child too can also be termed a problem. Because a child is physically challenged doesn’t mean his or her mentality, brain or thinking is disabled. A lot of dreams and passions have been cut off because of the way the community and people at large talk and relate with big-sized persons and also physically challenged persons. They are also human beings and should be treated like one, not like an animal. People should be educated on the damage that is being caused and will be caused if they don’t learn to relate with everyone around them equally. Stop killing bright dreams with your mouth and behaviour. The pain that people with big body size pass through in the community is the same pain disabled persons also pass through. Being physically challenged and big in body size is a unique thing that makes these people stand out. Stop treating them like aliens. These people also have brains, great ideas that can better every life around them and the country at large but when they are ridiculed and emotionally abused, they won’t be able to do so and also will be emotionally weak and traumatized. They won’t be able to be the change they are meant to be. The society should note the damage caused by bullying and body shaming.

It is true that everyone has different ‘home training’ but still everyone has a conscience and can discern their right from their left. Now on school assembly grounds, you hear children sing that they are the leaders of tomorrow which is true: but how do you want them to be leaders when heir self-esteem and courage that should facilitate their leadership role are brought to zero percent just because they either have a big body size or they are physically challenged. A lot of people out there are also bullied due to other various reason like being poor, slim, having a low educational or academic qualification and so on. All of this should stop for a better tomorrow and a better Nigeria. This opinion piece is meant to serve as a voice for the bullied and oppressed. Let there be a change. For Nigeria to be a better place, there must be a change and the change starts from us. Let us treat others the way we want people to treat us.