Children’s rights
Human beings have a desire to feel that they belong and it pushes them to live together in communities governed by policies, beliefs, laws and various regulations. The regulations are put in place to protect people and ensure that everyone gets equal treatment and that the rights and freedoms of each individual are protected. Although people are taught the importance of ethics and peaceful coexistence, there are occurrences where people seek to serve their own interests, at times at the expense of others and this leads to violation of other people’s rights and freedoms. Although there are measures in place to protect people’s rights from being violated, some situations are unavoidable as was the case with Joshua, a boy bullied by his classmates because of his sexuality. Regardless of whether people in society have embraced homosexuality or not, Joshua’s rights should have been respected and the principle should have taken stricter measures to not only punish the bullies, but also to reassure Joshua that such an occurrence will not happen again regardless of his sexuality preferences.
Rights of the child
Similar to society, schools are run in such a way that every student has a safe environment to learn and pursue other personal interests provided that they do not infringe upon the rights of other students and teachers. Being a student, Joshua was entitled to a safe learning environment free from bullying and other forms of oppression. When the group of students bullied John, they denied him the opportunity to learn in a safe environment and this goes against the principles that govern learning institutions. Like most organizations, schools are expected to ensure the safety of everyone enrolled in them at all costs (PTF, 2018). The bullying experience was therefore a let down on the side of the institution and more emphasis should be placed in getting rid of bullying as well as taking the right corrective action against the students who bullied Joshua.
Joshua’s sexual preferences should not be used as a means to discriminate him or subject him to any act that could impact him in a negative way. Even though not everyone has embraced the idea of homosexuality, people need to learn how to respect other people’s lifestyles. In the case for Joshua, the principal and the school in general should put more emphasis in teaching its students to respect other people’s differences (Farelly, 2016). Despite being Gay, Joshua is a student like all others enrolled in the school. His sexual preferences is just one of the differences that people possess and since it does not affect how he acquires knowledge, he should be allowed to learn in an environment that does not judge or make him feel bad for the choices he makes about his personal life. Furthermore, his being gay does not affect how other students learn and should not be used as a cause to bully him as this is an infringement of his basic human rights.
The harsh treatment that Joshua had to endure is greatly due to the schools failure to fully get rid of bullies in the school. Whether gay or not, students should be treated equally and protected from issues such as bullying because issues related to things like sexuality are no way an influence to learning (Murray, 2012). The school has a responsibility to protect all students while in school and should therefore place more effort towards getting rid of bullying. Other than punishing the students guilty of bullying, there is also the need to educate the entire school on the importance of embracing diversity and respecting other people’s differences (Family Lives, 2019). Since the goal is to peacefully coexist, schools have a responsibility to educate students how to live with one another despite any differences in opinion or lifestyles as this will prepare them for a life outside school.
Bullying linked to sexuality
Homosexuality is something that people are slowly getting used to and even though most people are supportive of other people’s sexual preferences, there are those who see it as a deviation from the norms that govern society. It is however important for people to remember that those they associate with have their own beliefs and attitudes towards the society they live in and the people they associate with (Alberta, 2019). If people were allowed to discriminate each other on the basis of lifestyle choices, there would be a lot of chaos especially due to the differences that people possess due to their own personal beliefs and opinions. As such, it is important to respect other people even when they engage in actions or make decisions that go against what is acceptable in society. As both a student and a human being, Joshua has rights and freedoms that protect his rights from being infringed upon and this is despite of his sexuality (PTF, 2019). As a child, the school bears the responsibility of protecting him from bullying or any actions that would make life difficult for him in school. His young age makes him vulnerable as he is unable to fully protect himself and the responsibility therefore falls to the school. His sexuality should in no way limit the level of protection offered by the schools as it does not make him any less of a student.
The human rights that govern society also protect people’s rights to living in safe environments. Joshua has the freedom of association which allows him to interact with other members of the community without restrictions influenced by who he is as a person. Although being gay does make Joshua different from straight kids, his sexuality is just one of the differences that people possess due to their different identities (Cymru, 2011). Since the rest of the students are offered a safe learning environment, the same privilege should be extended to Joshua as he is a student above all else. The school should therefore put more effort towards ensuring that all students get to study in an ideal learning environment free from issues such as bullying.
Ethical and legal obligations
- Joshua and his family’s attitude
Joshua’s parents have maintained a positive attitude after their son informed them that he was gay. In a society where homosexuality is still an issue that gets mixed reactions from different members of the community, Joshua’s parents are determined to accept him the way he is. A significant number of people are okay with people’s sexuality preferences and being gay does not alter how one is perceived as was the case with Joshua when he opened up to his parents about being gay (Rivers, 2011). Their support is of great help as he now has a place of refuge even when other people in the community do not understand his being gay and may tend to alienate or refrain from associating with Joshua because of his lifestyle. Supportive parents are however helpful as they help their children cope with the challenges that come with being openly gay in a society that chooses to stick to its norms above all else.
While maintaining a positive attitude on the issue greatly helps Joseph, the parents should take more measures to ensure that their child is not discriminated against for being gay. The parents made the right move by taking the issue to the school principal. However, his attitude towards the bullying indicated that the principal was shifting some of the blame to Joshua for being Gay (Charlseworth, 2015). Since his sexual preference is a privilege offered under his rights and freedoms, the parents should take legal measures and report to the respective authorities. In line with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools are can be fined or requested to pay for the damages a student experiences after being harassed by other students while in school (Cornell & Limber, 2016). Since the principal has made it clear that the issue is not being addressed with the seriousness it deserves, the parents can decide to sue the school for not doing everything necessary to ensure that Joshua and other children are not bullied for their lifestyle choices. The parents can also push for the principle to take on more actions to deal with homophobic bullying in the school. Since Joshua was bullied because he is gay, the school failed to uphold the Education and Inspection act, 2006 which protects students from homophobic bullying (Besag et al, 2009). The legal provisions ensure that Joshua’s parents have enough avenues to pursue in order to ensure that the bullies are punished and that such an occurrence does not happen again.
Homophobia is founded on the belief that being attracted to the opposite sex is immoral and therefore, wrong. However, heterosexuals need to understand that their sexual preferences are a choice offered to them by the same laws and regulations that protect the decisions that other people make (Short, 2013). Joshua has all the rights offered to other students and humans in general and the decisions he makes cannot be used to determine what rights are protected and which are not, provided that his life choices do not infringe on the rights of others. Joshua’s family should make a case to the principal that being gay does not attract bullying and that it is the schools failure to educate students on diversity and respecting other people’s decisions that has led to the bullying incident (Duncan & Rivers, 2013). The issue should therefore be resolve in such a way that Joshua does not feel bad for being gay and that the bullies are not only punished but also educated on the importance of respecting other people’s life choices.
- Principal’s attitude
The principal’s remark when he told Joshua to man up and grow a thick skin is an indication of his attitude towards homosexuality and even bullying. From his reaction, it is clear that the principal has a negative attitude as he suggests that the reason Joshua was bullied was because it is an occurrence common with homosexuals in society. Although the principal was firm on the school’s no tolerance for bullying, his tone when telling Joshua to be prepared for more bullying incidences after coming out as gay implied that he was not as firm on homophobic bullying. Being the principal, his attitude and beliefs have a huge impact on the students and their experience while in school as he has been given the authority to ensure that the school is a safe environment for teachers and students. As an authority figure, the principal should separate personal opinions from appropriate codes of conduct because he bears the responsibility of the school and everyone in it.
The school should invest in creating awareness on the importance of respecting each other regardless of the differences that exist among people. Since the school has clearly embraced diversity, it should prepare students and teachers on how to respect other people’s choices and decisions. The school should have an anti-homophobic policy that protects homosexuals from being bullied because of their sexuality preferences (Murray, 2012). Other than being against bullying, the school should revise its anti-bullying policies to include those that are bullied for reasons such as being gay. Doing so will create awareness on the challenges that homosexuals go through while in school while also informing the rest of the students on the importance of respecting other people’s lifestyles.
Conclusion
The ordeal that Joshua was forced to go through was as a result of the schools lack of educating students about diversity. Since all schools are expected to create a safe learning environment for its students, teaching them to respect other people’s differences should have been a priority as it would have helped the bullies to better understand the immoral nature of their actions. The principal should also develop a more positive attitude towards the challenges that students face rather than feeding into stereotypes that govern society. Instead of telling Joshua to prepare for more bullying due to his sexuality preference, he should have done more to reassure the student that what he went through was wrong and the school will do anything possible to ensure that bullying do not occur again. The school should therefore ensure that it resolves all issues related to bullying and that students are taught how to coexist with each other.
References
Alberta, (2018) “Homophobic bullying” retrieved from, http://pridenet.ca/wp- content/uploads/homophobic-bullying-facts.pdf
Charlesworth, J. (2015). That's so gay!: Challenging homophobic bullying.
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Cornell G and Limber P, (2016) “Do U.S laws go far enough to prevent bullying at schools?” American Psychological AAssociation
Cymru L, (2019) “Respecting others: Homophobic bullying” retrieved from, https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-05/respecting-others-homophobic- bullying.pdf
Duncan N and Rivers I, (2013) “Bullying: Experiences and discourses of sexuality and gender” Routledge print
Family Lives, (2018) “What is homophobic bullying? Retrieved from, https://www.bullying.co.uk/general-advice/what-is-homophobic-bullying/
Gerard Farrelly et al. (2016) “Custodians of silences: School principal perspectives on the incidence and nature of homophobic bullying in primary schools in Ireland, Irish Educational Studies
Murray J, (2012) “Gay young people still facing bullying at school” The Guardian, retrieved from, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jul/02/homophobic-bullying-in- schools
Peter Tatchell Foundation, (2019) “Homophobic bullying at school advice” retrieved from, https://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/homophobic-bullying-at-school-advice/
Rivers, I. (2011). Homophobic bullying: Research and theoretical perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rivers, I., Duncan, N., & Besag, V. E. (2009). Bullying: A handbook for educators and parents. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
SHORT, D. (2013). "Don't be so gay!": queers, bullying, and making schools safe.
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