Say NO to bullying

Bullying is a big problem. It can make kids feel hurt, scared, sick, lonely, embarrassed and sad. Bullies might hit, kick, or push to hurt people, or use words to call names, threaten, tease, or scare them.
A bully might say mean things about someone, grab a kid's stuff, make fun of someone, or leave a kid out of the group on purpose.
Some bullies threaten people or try to make them do things they don't want to do.

Bullying Is a Big Deal

Bullying is a big problem that affects lots of kids. Three-quarters of all kids say they have been bullied or teased. Being bullied can make kids feel really bad. The stress of dealing with bullies can make kids feel sick.
Bullying can make kids not want to play outside or go to school. It's hard to keep your mind on schoolwork when you're worried about how you're going to deal with the bully near your locker.
Bullying bothers everyone — and not just the kids who are getting picked on. Bullying can make school a place of fear and can lead to more violence and more stress for everyone.

Why Do Bullies Act That Way?

Some bullies are looking for attention. They might think bullying is a way to be popular or to get what they want. Most bullies are trying to make themselves feel more important. When they pick on someone else, it can make them feel big and powerful.
Some bullies come from families where everyone is angry and shouting all the time. They may think that being angry, calling names, and pushing people around is a normal way to act. Some bullies are copying what they've seen someone else do. Some have been bullied themselves.
Sometimes bullies know that what they are doing or saying hurts other people. But other bullies may not really know how hurtful their actions can be. Most bullies don't understand or care about the feelings of others.
Bullies often pick on someone they think they can have power over. They might pick on kids who get upset easily or who have trouble sticking up for themselves. Getting a big reaction out of someone can make bullies feel like they have the power they want. Sometimes bullies pick on someone who is smarter than they are or different from them in some way. Sometimes bullies just pick on a kid for no reason at all.
Gemma told her mom that this one kid was picking on her for having red hair and freckles. She wanted to be like the other kids but she couldn’t change those things about herself. Finally Gemma made friends at her local swimming pool with a girl who wished she had red hair like Gemma's. The two girls became great friends and she learned to ignore the mean girl's taunts at school.

Bullying: How to Handle It

So now you know that bullying is a big problem that affects a lot of kids, but what do you do if someone is bullying you? Our advice falls into two categories: preventing a run-in with the bully, and what to do if you end up face-to-face with the bully.

Preventing a Run-In With a Bully

Don't give the bully a chance. As much as you can, avoid the bully. You can't go into hiding or skip class, of course. But if you can take a different route and avoid him or her, do so.
Stand tall and be brave. When you're scared of another person, you're probably not feeling your bravest. But sometimes just acting brave is enough to stop a bully. How does a brave person look and act? Stand tall and you'll send the message: "Don't mess with me." It's easier to feel brave when you feel good about yourself. See the next tip!
Feel good about you. Nobody's perfect, but what can you do to look and feel your best? Maybe you'd like to be more fit. If so, maybe you'll decide to get more exercise, watch less TV, and eat healthier snacks. Or maybe you feel you look best when you shower in the morning before school. If so, you could decide to get up a little earlier so you can be clean and refreshed for the school day.
Get a buddy (and be a buddy). Two is better than one if you're trying to avoid being bullied. Make a plan to walk with a friend or two on the way to school or recess or lunch or wherever you think you might meet the bully. Offer to do the same if a friend is having bully trouble. Get involved if you see bullying going on in your school — tell an adult, stick up for the kid being bullied, and tell the bully to stop.

If The Bully Says or Does Something to You

Ignore the bully. If you can, try your best to ignore the bully's threats. Pretend you don't hear them and walk away quickly to a place of safety. Bullies want a big reaction to their teasing and meanness. Acting as if you don't notice and don't care is like giving no reaction at all, and this just might stop a bully's behavior.
Stand up for yourself. Pretend to feel really brave and confident. Tell the bully "No! Stop it!" in a loud voice. Then walk away, or run if you have to. Kids also can stand up for each other by telling a bully to stop teasing or scaring someone else, and then walk away together. If a bully wants you to do something that you don't want to do — say "no!" and walk away. If you do what a bully says to do, they will likely keep bullying you. Bullies tend to bully kids who don't stick up for themselves.
Don't bully back. Don't hit, kick, or push back to deal with someone bullying you or your friends. Fighting back just satisfies a bully and it's dangerous, too, because someone could get hurt. You're also likely to get in trouble. It's best to stay with others, stay safe, and get help from an adult.
Don't show your feelings. Plan ahead. How can you stop yourself from getting angry or showing you're upset? Try distracting yourself (counting backwards from 100, spelling the word 'turtle' backwards, etc.) to keep your mind occupied until you are out of the situation and somewhere safe where you can show your feelings.
Tell an adult. If you are being bullied, it's very important to tell an adult. Find someone you trust and go and tell them what is happening to you. Teachers, principals, parents, and lunchroom helpers at school can all help to stop bullying. Sometimes bullies stop as soon as a teacher finds out because they're afraid that they will be punished by parents. This is not tattling on someone who has done something small — bullying is wrong and it helps if everyone who gets bullied or sees someone being bullied speaks up.

What Happens to Bullies?

In the end, most bullies wind up in trouble. If they keep acting mean and hurtful, sooner or later they may have only a few friends left — usually other kids who are just like them. The power they wanted slips away fast. Other kids move on and leave bullies behind.
Luis lived in fear of Brian — every day he would give his lunch money to Brian but he still beat him up. He said that if Luis ever told anyone he would beat him up in front of all the other kids in his class. Luis even cried one day and another girl told everyone that he was a baby and had been crying. Luis was embarrassed and felt so bad about himself and about school. Finally, Brian got caught threatening Luis and they were both sent to the school counselor. Brian got in a lot of trouble at home. Over time, Brian learned how to make friends and ask his parents for lunch money. Luis never wanted to be friends with Brian but he did learn to act strong and more confident around him.
Some kids who bully blame others. But every kid has a choice about how to act. Some kids who bully realize that they don't get the respect they want by threatening others. They may have thought that bullying would make them popular, but they soon find out that other kids just think of them as trouble-making losers.
The good news is that kids who are bullies can learn to change their behavior. Teachers, counselors, and parents can help. So can watching kids who treat others fairly and with respect. Bullies can change if they learn to use their power in positive ways. In the end, whether bullies decide to change their ways is up to them. Some bullies turn into great kids. Some bullies never learn.
But no one needs to put up with a bully's behavior. If you or someone you know is bothered by a bully, talk to someone you trust. Everyone has the right to feel safe, and being bullied makes people feel unsafe. Tell someone about it and keep telling until something is done.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/bullies.html

Diga não ao Bullying

As agressões entre crianças e jovens é assunto sério. Trata-se do Bullying. 

Se você é pai ou mãe precisa estar informado a respeito, se seu filho ou filha volta para casa e se queixa continuamente de agressões que recebe pesquise para saber o que está acontecendo, marque uma conversa com a professora. Depois com a coordenadora pedagógica se as queixas persistirem. Se você costuma deixar seu filho/filha na porta da escola, mude seu comportamento e chegue uns 20 minutos mais cedo, estacione e entre na escola, se despeça do seu filho mas fique por perto para observar seu comportamento e dos colegas. Não espere, aja! Peça ajuda caso não saiba o que fazer.

Violência não é um sinal de força, a violência é um sinal de desespero e fraqueza.

Diga NÃO a violência aos animais!

Violência aos animais é uma coisa que NENHUM ser-humano tem o direito de cometer! Os animais são indefesos, e não podem se defender dos humanos. E acabam gerando resultados até mesmo sem volta e acabar na morte. Olhem essa imagens:






Se vocês é como nós, e que não suporta ver essas situações nos ajudem a combater! Em nossa legislação atual maltratar animais, quer sejam eles, domésticos ou selvagens, caracteriza-se crime ecológico, conforme art.32 da Lei 9.605, de 13.02.98, com detenção de três meses a um ano, e multa, para quem praticar ato de abuso, maus-tratos, ferir ou mutilar animais silvestres, domésticos ou domesticados, nativos ou exóticos. Ou seja, maltratar animais é crime. Já o Dec.Fed. 24.645/34, que ainda está em vigor quanto ao que se pode considerar maltratar, elenca nos artigos 3º ao 8º os atos assim considerados. Existe ainda legislação específica que disciplina a utilização de animais em experiências científicas.
Se você vê os animais sofrendo violências, denunciem.
Como Denunciar
01) Certifique-se que a denúncia é verdadeira. Falsa denúncia é crime conforme artigo 340 do Código Penal Brasileiro.
02) Tendo certeza que a denúncia procede, tente enquadrar o “crime” em uma das leis de crimes ambientais.
03) Neste momento, você pode elaborar uma carta explicando a infração ao próprio infrator e dando um prazo para que a situação seja regularizada. Se for situação flagrante ou emergência chame o 190.
O que deve conter a carta:
- A data e o local do fato
- Relato do que você presenciou
- O nº da lei e o inciso que descreva a infração
- Prazo para que seja providenciada a mudança no tratamento do animal, sob pena de você ir à  delegacia para denunciar a pessoa responsável
Ao discar para o 190 diga exatamente: – Meu nome é “XXXXX” e eu preciso de uma viatura no endereço “XXXXX” porque está ocorrendo um crime neste exato momento.
Provavelmente você será questionado sobre detalhes do crime, diga: – Trata-se de um crime ambiental, pois “um(a) senhor(a)” está infringindo a lei “XXXXX” e é necessária a presença de uma viatura com urgência.
05) Sua próxima preocupação é com a preservação das provas e envolvidos. Se possível não seja notado até a chegada da polícia, pois um flagrante tem muito mais validade perante processos judiciais.
06) Ao chegar a viatura, apresente-se com calma e muita educação. Lembre-se: O Policial está acostumado a lidar com crimes muito graves e não deve estar familiarizado sobre as leis ambientais e de crimes contra animais.
07) Neste momento você deverá esclarecer ao policial como ficou sabendo dos fatos (denúncia anônima ou não), citar qual lei o(a) senhor(a) está infringindo e entregar uma cópia da lei ao policial.
08) Após isso, seu papel é atuar junto ao policial e conduzir todos à delegacia mais próxima para a elaboração do TC (Termo Circunstanciado).
09) Ao chegar à delegacia apresente-se calma e educadamente ao Delegado. Lembre-se: O Delegado de Polícia está acostumado a lidar com crimes muito graves e não deve estar familiarizado sobre as leis ambientais e de crimes contra animais.
10) Conte detalhadamente tudo o que aconteceu, como ficou sabendo, o que você averiguou pessoalmente, a chegada da viatura e o desenrolar dos fatos até aquele momento. Cite a(s) lei(s) infringida(s) e entregue uma cópia ao Delegado (Isso é muito importante).
11) No caso de animais mortos ou provas materiais é necessário encaminhar para algum Hospital Veterinário ou Instituto Responsável e solicitar laudo técnico sobre a causa da morte, por exemplo. Peça isso ao Delegado durante a elaboração do TC.
12) Todo esse procedimento pode levar horas na delegacia. Mas é o primeiro passo para a aplicação das leis e depende exclusivamente da sociedade. Depende de nós!
13) Nuca esqueça de andar com cópias das leis (imprima várias cópias).
14) Siga exatamente esse roteiro ao chamar uma viatura e tenha certeza que o assunto será devidamente encaminhado.
15) Se a Polícia não atender ao chamado, ligue para a Corregedoria da Polícia Civil e informe o que os policiais  disseram quando se negaram a  atender. Mencione a Lei 9605/98.

(http://www.pea.org.br/denunciar.htm)

Violence to Animals = Violence to Humans

There is an alarming trend of young people committing shocking acts of violence and killing in our society. Many of those who commit violent acts have a history of abusing animals. Lynda Stoner, Australian actor and animal activist, examines...

The Cycle of Violence

• Animal Cruelty Linked to Violence Against Humans
• Why do children harm animals?
• Neglected Animals, Neglected Children...
• What can we do?
• Billboard from USA

One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill and torture an animal and get away with it.
­Margaret Mead

Human beings' treatment of animals has been acknowledged for centuries to reflect an individual's attitude to fellow human beings. We are not born with a cruel gene, it develops as a consequence of environment and society. In 1905 Freud suggested that clinicians pay special attention to children who are cruel to animals.
Today there is growing evidence that childhood violence toward animals is often a sign something is terribly wrong, and acts as a warning of future violence against humans. With guidance from adults children can be taught to empathise with the sentience of other creatures. Without intervention and/or positive mentoring they may become locked into a lifetime of perpetuating cruelty. Violence - whether the victim has two or four legs, wings, or fins - is violence.
In the last decade social scientists and law enforcement agencies have begun to study in detail the roots of violence connecting child maltreatment, spouse and partner abuse and aggression in our neighbourhoods. Law enforcement officials, prosecutors, victim service providers, physicians, mental health providers, and child/adult protective service officials are teaming with animal control officers and veterinarians to protect the most vulnerable in our community.

Animal Cruelty Linked to Violence Against Humans

Researchers, the FBI and other agencies in the USA, have linked animal cruelty to domestic violence, child abuse, serial killings and the recent rash of killings by school-age children. Among the most notorious of those have been Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler), Theodore Bundy, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam), Jeffrey Dahmer, Marc Lepine, Carroll Edward Coleis and Martin Bryant - all with a history of animal torture and killing in their childhood. Five of six students in the USA who went on shooting rampages in 1999 had histories of animal cruelty in their childhoods.
Kip Kinkel, 15, allegedly walked into his high school cafeteria and opened fire on his classmates. Two were killed and 22 others injured, four critically. Later that day police found his parents shot to death in their home. It was reported by family and friends Kinkel had a history of animal abuse. He often bragged about torturing and killing animals.
Mitchell Johnson, 13 and Andrew Golden, 11, allegedly shot and killed four students and a teacher at their school. A friend of Andrew's said he shot dogs "all the time with a .22". Luke Woodham, 16, stabbed his mother to death then went to his high school where he shot and killed two classmates and injured seven others. Prior to the killings Woodham stated in his personal journal that he and an accomplice beat, burned and tortured his dog Sparkle to death. There is a gruesome litany of case histories of killers, rapists, batterers and child abusers who "practised" on animals when they were children.

Why do children harm animals?

Most professionals agree that animal abuse is not just the result of a personality flaw in the abuser, but a symptom of a deeply disturbed family. Perpetrators of violent acts against animals are predominantly adolescent males who come from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Many are reflecting the violence they experience at home. Compelling studies show children who abuse animals have been victims of child abuse themselves. Children who witness their parents reacting to anger or frustration with violence often participate in pecking-order battering with the next vulnerable member of the family, usually the companion animal.

Neglected Animals, Neglected Children...

It is estimated that 88% of animals living in households with domestic violence are either abused or killed. Of all the women in America who enter shelters to escape abuse, 57% have had companion animals killed by the batterer. Neglect of companion animals can be indicative of neglect to children in the family. Officials in the UK and the USA are now trained to observe animals' food and water bowls and other signs of neglect. Veterinarians are learning to look for warning signs of abuse in animals. The American Veterinary Medical Association's position statement is: "The AVMA recognises that veterinarians have occasion to observe cases of cruelty to animals, animal abuse or animal neglect as defined by state law or local ordinances. When these observations occur, the AVMA considers it the responsibility of the veterinarian to report such cases to the appropriate authorities. Such disclosures may be necessary to protect the health and welfare of animals and people." Cruelty to animals is a crime and must be treated as such. It is also a symptom of disturbed individuals and families and a predictor of other problems in the making. Court action in Australia and around the world against those who harm animals has been minimal but increasing numbers of overseas courts are recognising that early intervention may be very effective in preventing on-going crime. Cases of severe or repeated violence against animals demands criminal punishment as well as psychiatric treatment. Ideally such treatment should reach the entire family not just the abuser.

Above is a reproduction of a billboard created in the USA for the Washington Humane Society.

The text reads:

People who abuse animals rarely stop there
Studies show that people who abuse their pets are also likely to abuse their kids. So if you see an animal mistreated or neglected, please report it. Because the parent who comes home and kicks the cat is probably just warming up.

What can we do?

• Make it our business to get involved.
• Early intervention can help break the cycle of violence.
• It is foolish and dangerous to dismiss childhood cruelty with "kids will be kids".
• If a child is a bully or is cruel to animals, that child is warning the community he or she needs help.
• Community education is imperative. To hear a child or an animal being beaten next door and do nothing is to condone and participate in that abuse.

Cruelty Connections

According to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.
Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association considers animal cruelty one of the diagnostic criteria of conduct disorder.
If you break it down to its bare essentials:
"Abusing an animal is a way for a human to find power/joy/fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend itself."
Now break down a human crime, say rape. If we substitute a few pronouns, it's the SAME THING.
"Rape is a way for a human to find power/joy/fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend themselves."
Now try it with, say, domestic abuse such as child abuse or spousal abuse:
"Child abuse is a way for a human to find power/joy/fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend themselves."
Do you see the pattern here?
The line separating an animal abuser from someone capable of committing human abuse is much finer than most people care to consider. People abuse animals for the same reasons they abuse people. Some of them will stop with animals, but enough have been proven to continue on to commit violent crimes to people that it's worth paying attention to.
Virtually every serious violent offender has a history of animal abuse in their past, and since there's no way to know which animal abuser is going to continue on to commit violent human crimes, they should ALL be taken that seriously. FBI Supervisory Special Agent Allen Brantley was quoted as saying "Animal cruelty... is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy individual; this is a warning sign..." It should be looked at as exactly that. Its a clear indicator of psychological issues that can and often DO lead to more violent human crimes.
Dr. Randall Lockwood, who has a doctorate in psychology and is senior vice president for anti-cruelty initiatives and training for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, states "A kid who is abusive to a pet is quite often acting out violence directly experienced or witnessed in the home," Lockwood said, adding that about one-third of children who are exposed to family violence will act out this violence, often against their own pets.
Others either abuse pets or threaten to abuse them as a way to control an individual.
"So much of animal cruelty... is really about power or control," Lockwood said. Often, aggression starts with a real or perceived injustice. The person feels powerless and develops a warped sense of self-respect. Eventually they feel strong only by being able to dominate a person or animal.
Sometimes, young children and those with developmental disabilities who harm animals don't understand what they're doing, Lockwood said. And animal hoarding - the practice of keeping dozens of animals in deplorable conditions - often is a symptom of a greater mental illness, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Just as in situations of other types of abuse, a victim of abuse often becomes a perpetrator. According to Lockwood, when women abuse animals, they "almost always have a history of victimization themselves. That's where a lot of that rage comes from."
In domestic violence situations, women are often afraid to leave the home out of fear the abuser will harm the family pet, which has lead to the creation of Animal Safehouse programs, which provide foster care for the pets of victims in domestic violence situations, empowering them to leave the abusive situation and get help.
Whether a teenager shoots a cat without provocation or an elderly woman is hoarding 200 cats in her home, "both are exhibiting mental health issues... but need very different kinds of attention," Lockwood said.
Those who abuse animals for no obvious reason, Lockwood said, are "budding psychopaths." They have no empathy and only see the world as what it's going to do for them.
History is full of high-profile examples of this connection:

• Patrick Sherrill, who killed 14 coworkers at a post office and then shot himself, had a history of stealing local pets and allowing his own dog to attack and mutilate them.
• Earl Kenneth Shriner, who raped, stabbed, and mutilated a 7-year-old boy, had been widely known in his neighborhood as the man who put firecrackers in dogs? rectums and strung up cats.
• Brenda Spencer, who opened fire at a San Diego school, killing two children and injuring nine others, had repeatedly abused cats and dogs, often by setting their tails on fire.
• Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler" who killed 13 women, trapped dogs and cats in orange crates and shot arrows through the boxes in his youth.
• Carroll Edward Cole, executed for five of the 35 murders of which he was accused, said his first act of violence as a child was to strangle a puppy.
• In 1987, three Missouri high school students were charged with the beating death of a classmate. They had histories of repeated acts of animal mutilation starting several years earlier. One confessed that he had killed so many cats he?d lost count. Two brothers who murdered their parents had previously told classmates that they had decapitated a cat.
• Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer had impaled dogs? heads, frogs, and cats on sticks.

More recently, high school killers such as 15-year-old Kip Kinkel in Springfield, Ore., and Luke Woodham, 16, in Pearl, Miss., tortured animals before embarking on shooting sprees. Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who shot and killed 12 classmates before turning their guns on themselves, bragged about mutilating animals to their friends.
As powerful a statement as the high-profile examples above make, they don't even begin to scratch the surface of the whole truth behind the abuse connection. Learning more about the animal cruelty/interpersonal violence connection is vital for community members and law enforcement alike.

Read more: Abuse Connection - The Link Between Animal Cruelty and Interpersonal Violence | Pet-Abuse.Com Animal Cruelty Database http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/abuse_connection.php#ixzz1kJqRBpKG

Crimes Against Animals

http://www.crimemuseum.org/Crimes_Against_Animals