I just can’t believe it! There is scarcely anything more tragic than a young child suffering with cancer. How anyone can see this as an opportunity to bully astounds me. What kind of society are we if the results of this study is accurate?
Children with cancer are being bullied by their classmates, losing friends and risk falling behind at school, research suggests.
The illness can significantly disrupt a child’s education as well as their ability to make and keep friends, according to a report by a UK children’s cancer charity.
The CLIC Sargent study reveals youngsters with the disease have been bullied by their classmates because they have lost their hair or gained weight – with some even being told they are going to die.
The report, based on a survey and interviews with children with cancer and parents, looked at the impact of the disease on children in primary education.
More than a third (35 per cent) of parents said their child had been bullied or teased when they returned to school because of their cancer diagnosis, or the effects of treatment, such as losing their hair or gaining weight due to steroids.
One parent told researchers that some of their son’s classmates tried to steal his hat and another said that their daughter was picked on because she had lost her hair and gained weight.
Another parent said: ‘James used to have friends at school but the ones closest to him started to be really cruel and nasty to him when he returned after his main cancer treatment.
‘There were occasions when older kids would laugh at him and tell him he was going to die.’
The report, published to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the UK, found that almost half of parents (47 per cent) said their child had grown apart from their friends.
The same proportion said their child’s school did not help maintain contact with classmates and friends while their son or daughter was off.
About 15 per cent of parents said their child felt different from their classmates and 13 per cent said their youngster felt isolated and excluded.
The study also reveals concerns about the level of education children receive while receiving treatment, and the help they get when they return to school.
About 70 per cent of parents said their child had some form of education when they were off school but just a third (36 per cent) said the primary school kept in regular contact with the hospital school.
The majority of families said they did not feel they were kept well-informed about their child’s education when their youngster was being taught in hospital.
Of all the stories I have covered on this blog, this one has upset me the most. What are schools doing to help with the social challenges that kids with cancer evidently face?
Surely any school worth their salt will invest a considerable amount of time into students with cancer, ensuring that they are coping with the added stresses and burdens. This would certainly include educating the other students and observing social interactions.
Click on the link to read Humiliation Solves Nothing (Video)
Click on the link to read What Principal Would Ever Approve of this Kind of Bullying?
Click on the link to read Bullies Should Not Be Treated Like Students With Incorrect Uniform
Click on the link to read Social Media: A Playground for Bullies
Click on the link to read Charity Pays for Teen’s Plastic Surgery to Help Stop Bullying
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