1 in 5 teens victim of bullying

(ANSA) - Bologna, April 12 - One in five Italian adolescents is victim of physical bullying, while one in ten experiences bullying on internet and social networks, according to a survey by children's helpline Telefono Azzurro and Doxakids published Tuesday. Some 80% of cases of physical bullying occur at school. "Bullying is a phenomenon that can have dramatic consequences psychologically and for relationships and that can push some victims towards extreme gestures," said Telefono Azzurro president Ernesto Caffo, a pediatric neuropsychiatrist. "Suffice it to think that 10% (of victims) attempt suicide and 30% self harm. However, just one child in five informs an adult that they are a victim," he continued.
    "For this reason it is fundamental to break the silence and help victims of bullying to overcome their shame and realise that it is only by talking that they can interrupt the spiral of violence in which they are involved," said Caffo.
    The best strategy is to involve students, parents, teachers and the broader community in tackling the problem, he added. On Saturday and Sunday volunteers with Telefono Azzurro will be in over 2,300 squares up and down the country for the anti-bullying awareness raising campaign Fiori d'Azzurro.