A heartbreaking tragedy shook the nation of Trinidad and Tobago – a young child, subjected to relentless bullying at school, took his own life. The pain that led him to this unthinkable act is unimaginable. It is a tragedy that reminds us of how critical it is to address bullying in schools and, more importantly, how urgent it is for society to confront this pervasive issue.

The effects of bullying can ripple far beyond the classroom, impacting mental health, self-esteem, and even leading to irreversible decisions like this. While schools play a central role in shaping a child’s environment, the unfortunate truth is that bullies don’t just exist in classrooms. They exist in every corner of society. In fact, learning to cope with bullying is not only an essential skill during your school years, but one that carries relevance for the rest of our lives. It is therefore critical that we prepare our children for a world where bullies also exist in offices, NGOs, and even within families.

Teachers and parents can try to solve bullying through discipline, policies, and awareness, but reality is far more complex. The adult world is filled with bullies in various forms. They show up as colleagues who undermine you, managers who belittle you, or even acquaintances in religious or social groups who manipulate and control others for personal gain. Sadly, the very places we associate with safety and community – workplaces, religious institutions, and even social circles – can be breeding grounds for adult bullying. We see it in toxic office cultures where power dynamics are misused, in cliques within religious groups where some members are marginalized, and in leadership roles where some individuals use their position to dominate or humiliate others.

If we teach children that bullies only exist in schools, we fail to prepare them for the world. Instead, we need to arm them with strategies to recognize and navigate toxic environments throughout life. They need to understand their own worth and how to defend it. Resilience training does not mean teaching children to simply “toughen up” or ignore bullying. It means helping them develop coping mechanisms for conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and the ability to set boundaries. Encouraging them to speak up when something feels wrong and to reach out for help if they are being mistreated can make a world of difference. It also means empowering them to recognize when they themselves are becoming the aggressor or participating in behaviours that hurt others.

Beyond building resilience, we must actively foster environments of empathy and kindness in schools, homes, and communities. Children who learn compassion and understanding from a young age are less likely to become bullies themselves. Parents, teachers, and community leaders all share the responsibility of modelling empathy, encouraging open dialogue, and teaching the importance of standing up for those who may be marginalized. We need programs that teach social and emotional learning in schools, where children learn about managing emotions and resolving conflicts – and we also need similar programs to extend into adulthood, where workshops on workplace culture, empathy training, and mental health awareness can help reduce bullying in more adult settings.

The tragic loss of a child’s life due to bullying is a harsh reminder that we need to be vigilant in addressing bullying at every level of society. It’s not enough to implement policies in schools and hope for change. We need to prepare our children – and ourselves – for a world where bullies exist not only in classrooms but in every environment we encounter. Over the next few weeks as we take the time to recognize bullying for what it is – a serious, damaging act that destroys lives – we should also work towards building up our children with the emotional resilience, self-worth, and confidence they need to face it head-on, wherever they may encounter it.