A 46-year-old bus attendant pleaded guilty for slapping Primary 4 pupil four times on the cheek.The incident happened in the school hall of the victim’s primary school on Jan 30 last year. Two other charges of using criminal force by pulling the girl by her uniform shirt collar were taken into consideration in sentencing.
In the course of her work, Leong had been scolding the victim and pulling her by her uniform collar. The principal and vice-principal of the school met and spoke to Leong minutes before the incident.
At about 1.45pm the day of the incident, Leong approached the victim at the canteen and told her to follow her to the school hall. The girl sensed that something was amiss and tried to leave but Leong pulled her by the collar to the back of the hall where she slapped her four times on her cheeks.
She warned the girl not to tell anyone about what she had done but she did not realise four of the victim’s schoolmates had followed her to the school hall and saw what she did.
The next day, the girl informed her mother who lodged a police report.
In mitigation, Leong’s lawyer said she had learned that the girl had first hit her daughter with a recorder. Leong could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined up to $5,000.
Click on the next page to find out more about child-bullying and how to prevent it!
The relentless act of bullying
How can parents stop this from happening to their child? Bullying is inevitable, especially in school and it is no longer a surprise that the bully may very well be an adult or an authoritative figure.
Here are steps to mitigate the problem:
1. Talk to your child
Communicating positively and effectively with your child starting at a young age naturally helps them improve their personality and behaviour with others. They might even prevent a bully from further bullying them by approaching parents immediately.
2. Limit violence and negativity in your child’s life (and yours)
If you show yourself being violent to others in front of your child, they would probably follow your footsteps.
Also remember to leave your marital problems out of your child’s life. It only causes unnecessary distress and might even lead to your child bullying another.
3. Spread love, not hate
If you are constantly showing negativity to others around you – like complaining and acting up when things don’t go your way – your child might do the same when she is unhappy with something.
Learn to breathe positivity and exhale negativity. If everyone teaches a child to emanate decent mannerisms and behaviour, bullying might cease to exist in the long-run!
Has your child ever been bullied? Share your comments below.
