Dropouts and bullying

When a child stops going to school, something shifts inside the family. Often, the mother adjusts her working style. She stays home more. She prepares snacks. She tries to monitor the atmosphere.And sometimes, when a child says, “I want to die,” the parent hesitates to correct or comfort the child… Because online, many young people casually use those same words. On social media, “I want to die” can sound almost ordinary. Generalization is easy.But generalization can hurt deeply.Nationally, Japan reports over 700,000 recognized bullying cases in recent school years. Bullying today is not only pushing or obvious verbal abuse. It includes exclusion. Ignoring. Silent social pressure. Even among children as young as 6 to 8 years old, relational aggression — ignoring or isolating peers — is common.Teenage suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people in Japan. That is not something we can ignore. Reports of school violence have increased in recent years.And when we discuss causes, people debate: Is it the child? Is it the teacher? Is it the parent?From my field experience, I believe we must invest more in supporting parents and teachers, not only children if we want to raise emotionally stable young adults.