A keyword search on New Zealand's most popular news site nzherald.co.nz returns 783 articles including the keywords "Bullying in schools" dating back to 1999 (Alexia Internet Inc., n.d.; The New Zealand Herald, 2014). In 2013 alone, 82 articles were written using the same keywords, which equates to at least one reported every week. In 2012, 135 matches were held or at least 2 per week. It is safe to say that this is a national problem of considerable size. Not all of these articles reported on national current affairs, but even some of those that did not explained the issue's connection to New Zealand's problems (Huck, 2012). By looking at these articles we can understand why it has been a hot topic for so long. Strong trends in these articles are stories of suicide, self-harm, depression and anxiety disorders. While these are all very complex topics, we cannot ignore the role that bullying in schools plays on those who suffer. Bullied students generally exhibit higher levels of loneliness, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, to name a few (Nansel, T.R., Overpeck., M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Kimons-Morton, B. & Scheidt , P., 2001). The impact of bullying can have lasting effects with studies showing that frequent victimization can predict anxiety disorders in adults. Furthermore, there may be negative effects for bullies themselves who are more likely to struggle with antisocial personalities, substance abuse, depression and anxiety disorders later in life. Furthermore, people who are victims of bullying and who are bullies themselves have a greater risk of developing anxiety and antisocial personality disorders in adulthood (Sourander et al., 2007). MediaMore recently media reports seem to focus on different... ... middle of paper ...... not giving them the resources to deal with bullying, because for the most part schools are under-resourced. However, children have the right not to be bullied at school. It has negative consequences for both their mental and physical health, immediately and in the future. Governments, schools, teachers and parents have an obligation to work collaboratively to ensure that children's rights are respected. Progressive change is needed in equipping our schools with the tools to help prevent and respond to bullying. Equality of rights between adults and children is questionable, the power imbalance that is created has a significant negative impact on the child's right to be free from harm and on his or her right to participate in school. Furthermore, as a society we have a moral obligation to reflect on the social pressures we are creating and that our children face.