Bullying and harassment can be considered a number of things; someone physically touching you in a way you don’t approve of, being verbally taunted, insulted, and laughed at, and when someone is spreading horrible rumors and hurting your reputation. Red Cross Canada is recognizing online bullying as well. This is when people send harassing messages or postings that can be hurtful to another person.

Red Cross Canada is educating people on the three R’s; rights, responsibilities, and ratting. A person has the right to feel safe and be treated with respect and fair. You should be able to ask for help when you are in trouble and say ‘no’. You have the right to make your own decisions, to make a complaint, and to know if someone has made a complaint about you.

Your responsibilities are to treat others respectfully and fairly, help people when you see they are in need of help, not to bully or mistreat others, and allow people to make their own decisions. Your responsibilities to Red Cross Canada’s Stop Bullying campaign is to treat others as you would like to be treated.

The third R in responsibility is educating people on the difference of ratting versus telling. Ratting is when you are trying to cause a problem, hurt someone, or get them into trouble. Telling is when you are trying to help them because they might get hurt, you are trying to solve a problem, or you are taking care of yourself.

Red Cross Canada believes if you are a bystander and witness bullying, you should stand up and speak out for your friends and others to put a stop to it. You should never go along with someone who is a bully and support another bully.

Stopping cyber bullying means not to encourage hurtful acts being committed online, never to forward hurtful messages, and to treat people as you would want to be treated.

Red Cross Canada believes in stopping the bullying and everyone can help by speaking out against bullying when they see it and to treat others with respect.

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