Guwahati, November 22 (PTI) An estimated 95 percent of youth in Assam have experienced cyber bullying and corporal punishment leading to mental health problems, a survey conducted by UNICEF and the National Service Scheme (NSS) revealed.
Currently, 19 percent of Assam’s 3.1 crore population (2011 census) is in the 15-24 age group.
About 60 percent of the young people surveyed said it affected their social relationships, 24 percent caused them stress, anxiety and fear, and 17 percent reported physical injuries, according to the report.
The U-Report survey, launched in July this year, was developed to support the Suraksha campaign of the Assam State Child Rights Protection Commission (ASCPCR), which aims to increase public awareness of forms of violence against children and repair mechanisms.
U-Report is a social platform created by UNICEF, available via SMS, Facebook and Twitter, where young people express their opinion.
Dr. Mythili Hazarika, an associate professor at the Department of Clinical Psychology at Gauhati Medical College Hospital, said that cyberbullying has become common in recent years as the presence of young people in the digital space has increased considerably, even reaching to cause death by suicide in some cases.
“Social alienation, feelings of helplessness, anxiety, depression and loneliness are common manifestations. The victim often believes that it is their fault, which leads to psychological problems.
it is important that the victim reports the matter to his immediate family and takes legal redress,” Hazarika told PTI.
Social activist and counselor Archana Borthakur told PTI that cyber trolling as well as corporal punishment can have a permanent effect on young people’s mental health and they should immediately contact the police, counselors and also seek legal help. .
Up to 9,500 NSS volunteers from 24 universities and educational institutions in the state participated in the survey on cyberbullying and corporal punishment and its results were released on Sunday.
Half of the youth reported being bullied online by an unknown person, 12 percent being bullied by a classmate and 14 percent by a friend.
Facebook was identified by 36 percent of youth as the most common social platform to be bullied, followed by Instagram at 25 percent.
Spreading embarrassing lies, photos or videos on social media (35 percent) were the most frequent forms of bullying with physical appearance as the most common reason for being bullied online.
According to the survey, 35 percent of youth experienced corporal punishment at home, 25 percent at school, 14 percent in other spaces such as private classes and sports fields. Twenty-six percent experienced it in all three settings.
The most common form of punishment was being hit or slapped on the hand, arm, or leg (67 percent), followed by yelling or verbal abuse (16 percent).
68 percent of the volunteers were aware of compensation mechanisms, of which 57 percent recognized the Assam Police as the most popular support system available.
“Given the Assam government’s drive to create an enabling environment for young people to grow and prosper, UNICEF Assam has been working with them, especially those from the most vulnerable communities,” said Madhulika Jonathan, UNICEF Assam chief.
In 2020-21, the North East NSS Directorate and UNICEF Assam joined forces to work on child protection in all eight states as mandated by a national partnership between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and UNICEF India. . ITP DG MM
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