4th June, 2012

Regarding The Daily Telegraph article on ‘Jobs ban on School Bullies’...

In theory having a character check for under 22-year-olds entering the workplace and refusing employment to those who have a black mark may act as a deterrent to school bullies. On the other hand, it is a discriminatory practice that does not allow for a person’s rehabilitation from school-based behaviours. Negative punishments reinforce negative behaviours and we want everyone to have the same opportunities to be employed. But to what extent of bullying should a victim put up with?

With this being said I strongly believe bullying should be illegal, but that a bully should only be punished after repeated disregard of warnings given to them – something like a three-strike rule. Bullying is like any form of harassment and can have a serious affect on its victims, affecting all aspects of their lives. If a bully’s actions are mean, spiteful and distressing to an individual, then they shouldn’t be tolerated by the society. No-one should be denied the right to a future. And if bystanders commonly do nothing to discourage bullying, then this has a lot to say about the perpetrator and why their actions should be discouraged by us all. Whilst the benefits may be there, we shouldn’t be hasty to wait until all the legal issues have been worked out before laws are implemented.

- HANNAH GARCIA, New South Wales

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