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“New Jersey Cares About Bullying” is a statewide
campaign designed to increase public and professional understanding
about the general problem of bullying among young people.
New Jersey is a national leader on the issue of bullying.
Ours is the second state in the nation to design a statewide
anti-bullying campaign.
This campaign approaches the problem of bullying from a
broad perspective with three fundamental principles:
First, we believe that
bullying is a common - perhaps the most common - form of violent
behavior. It is at the root of many other violent behaviors
deriving from a power imbalance between victim and perpetrator(s).
Some behaviors are themselves criminal while others may be
precursors to criminal behavior: gang behavior, bias crime,
intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, child abuse,
and workplace bullying.
Second, we are concerned
about both victims and perpetrators. Concern for victims is
our top priority, but not to the exclusion of perpetrators.
In fact, research shows that many children start out as targets
of bullying but learn to behave as bullies in self-defense.
Victims suffer from terrible pain - both physical and emotional,
both short and long term. Depression, anxiety, and suicide
are frequently linked to bullying. Perpetrators may face school
expulsion, criminal
records, loss of income, and possibly jail terms.
Third, we believe that
preventing bullying behavior among youth requires a collaborative
effort among all who care about young people.This includes
parents, educators, law enforcement, legislators, government
officials, mental and public health professionals, court personnel,
recreation and after-school staff, and others in community
organizations. Building collaborative projects,
task forces, organizations, etc. is a major step toward
reducing bullying.
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