WCED condemns video sharing promoting bullying and violence

WCED

Cape Town — The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is concerned by the behaviour of some school children in the province, seemingly promoting violence and aggressive behaviour.

In an incident that occurred at Lotus High School in Grassy Park where a 14-year-old pupil was arrested in connection to a disturbing viral video.  In the video, a group of students are seen kicking and attacking another student.

According to TimesLIVE, police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said the teen would be processed and sent for assessments, and the investigation would continue with the possibility of more arrests.

“Reports reveal the complainant was walking home from school when she was attacked from behind and when she turned to fight back the suspect’s friends started hitting her. The 18-year-old victim sustained injuries to her face,” Manyana said.

WARNING: The video contains some disturbing footage.

According to IOL, a social media WhatsAPp channel with the slogan of “Peace was never an option.” and has gained more than 30 000 followers shows teens posting videos of fights and makign commentary on the outcomes.

Standfontein Community Forum (CPF) chairperson, Sandy Schuter, was shocked when she discovered the content and was disappointed that students were supporting this kind of behaviour and sharing it on social media.

One incident involved a boy choking and attacking another student causing him to collapse.  The victim appears to be struggling to breathe and raises his hand as he grasps for air and immediately collapses after being let go.

In a statement, the WCED  lamented the disturbing footage and said it would engage with the school who have been idnetified and said the necessary processes will be taken in each case.

“These videos portray a deep lack of humanity and compassion for fellow learners. In addition, the filming, distribution and sharing of these incidents is also deeply shameful. It is difficult to comprehend what motivates one to actively promote a fellow human being, particularly a child being humiliated or abused?” WCED Head of Department, Brent Walters, said.

Walters said it was said to see the distribution of such videos become such a common occurrence. He said the aforementioned WhatsApp channel can cause irrepairable harm to the learners who have been affected and that the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) sets specific conditions for processing children’s personal information.

He added that the filming and distributing of these videos contribute towards a bullying culture and abuse of the children concerned.

“The responsible thing to do when seeing or receiving such a harmful post is to stop it from being shared elsewhere, either by deleting the post or to “Stop the Share” completely by reporting harmful content,” he said.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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