This Friday, February 27th, 2015 is the annual International Stand Up to Bullying Day. Schools, workplaces and organizations in 25 countries across the globe will be wearing pink to take a visible public stance against bullying.

Bullying is being mean to another kid repeatedly and often includes teasing, talking about hurting someone, spreading rumors, leaving kids out on purpose, and attacking someone physically or verbally. Bullying does not always happen in person. With the increasing presence of social media, cyber-bullying has become a commonplace within today’s society. Cyber-bullying includes, spreading rumors, sharing embarrassing photos or videos and sending harassing messages through text messaging, or online sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

According to dosomething.org:

• Over 3.2 million students are victims of bulling each year.
• Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.
• 17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester.
• 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bulling and will only intervene 4% of the time.
• By age 14 less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk to their peers about bullying. 

Help take a stance against bullying and make sure to wear pink this Friday! For more information on bullying, go to www.dosomething.org or www.stopbullying.gov.