- By Faiza Abdulaziz
Chindara, a student (Real name withheld) was a victim of cyberbullying in a Whatsapp group created for students living in hostels to have easy access to information.
An anonymous message link was sent to the group and people were told to drop messages for fun.
“One day the group admin sent an anonymous message link and said everyone should drop messages, it’s just for fun. Someone I know or even a roommate of mine dropped a message mentioning my name, my roommate, department and even my level,” Chindara said.
She said this unknown person mentioned in the anonymous group message that her shapeless body is no longer agile, likening her body to that of an aged person.
Whenever she thinks about it, she feels deflated and loses her self-esteem. She narrated how she performed below standard in her academics.
“I lose concentration whenever I remember how I was mocked for something I have absolutely no control over,” she said.
Chindara’s story is not unique. Many students have been mentally affected as a result of cyberbullying. Speaking with Campus Life, Maryam Ayomide said she had once been accused of dating two of her coursemates when the narrative was actually far from being true.
“Many of us are not strong enough to handle strong criticism,” she said.
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Another student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto Abubakar Aisha also shared that anonymous messages often lead to bullying or harassment which create a toxic environment. She believes that it can also lead to anxiety, stress and create fear in the mind of a student who receives such a message.
Report from the National Library of Medicine agreed that victims report lower school performance and school attachment as a result of cyberbullying. It showed that A total of 15.8% of students reported cyberbullying and 25.9% reported school bullying in the past 12 months. A majority (59.7%) of cyberbullying victims were also school bullying victims; 36.3% of school bullying victims were also cyberbullying victims.
According to UNICEF, “more than a third of young people in 30 countries report being a victim of online bullying.”
“Don’t isolate yourself”, expert says Malam Misbahu Kaura, the examination officer and lecturer at the department of Educational Foundation of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, also a lecturer of Guidance and Counselling, said body-shaming is a serious offence that attracts punishment.
He said:, “The victims should not try to heal alone by isolating themselves. They should visit the school counselling unit so that a trained counsellor can help minimise the effects of the act.”
Misbahu noted that body-shaming is more than words or jokes, adding that students should know there are individual differences and everyone is unique in one way or the other.
He encouraged the students of Guidance and Counselling to collaborate with the Students’ Union to organise a rally on body-shaming and its implications.