I experienced the worst bullying at primary school. First, I was bullied for the fact that I ‘looked’ too big for my age. I was given nicknames like; mmamoleele(tall girl), oktol manyekenyeke, tsela ya kgalagadi, among others, by teachers and pupils alike. Then it was my scarred legs. When I was about 10, I developed sores that took long to heal on both legs. I ended up with big scars that are still visible now. My classmates would make fun of me over that. One day I went out of class only to find my nice backpack marked dipadipadi (scars) with a permanent marker. You can imagine the pain. Being a reserved child, I did not share my troubles with my parents but school was an absolute drag.

For some reason, I was not about to let the bullies get away with it. I walked tall. Later on in life, I would read an article about a celebrity who never exposed her legs because of scars. “So these should be hidden?” I wondered. That thought never crossed my mind. I wore my clothes long and short. I still get unsavory remarks occasionally like, “what happened to your legs? Did you like climbing trees when you were young?” I just shrug and move on and treat the remarks with the disdain they deserve.

Then I was bullied again for the way I spoke. I spoke too slowly and softly. I’d get names like mmaboleta and other distasteful nicknames based on things I did not have control over. I could go on and on because the list is long.

Bullying isn’t about to end anytime soon. Now they have taken it to cyber space. Some mean people will take a picture of someone and start humiliating them for their looks; something they have no control over. For what? A few likes, shares, publicity and God-knows-what. There is no empathy whatsoever. It beats me what these bullies gain from that. One thing is certain-the world is cruel. One needs inner strength to survive.

Unfortunately, it is not everyone who survives bullying. Some of the victims are dead and buried (my nephew included). Others fall into depression. For some, their confidence is dented for life.

Kindness does not cost much but it seems to be rare among humans. Simple acts like being considerate of other people’s feelings;choosing our words wisely; helping others instead of celebrating their downfall; would go a long way. We can do better.