By Faiza Abdulaziz
It was in the early morning of December 2024, when the dark cloud was just shifting for the awakening sun that Chindara Chindara (real name withhold) was seen sitting on top of a yellow jerrycan with her back reclining the doorjamb. She held her chin within the palm of her left hand. She was in a daze. Her haggard look told the story of a troubled mind which she would later narrate to me.
Chindara was a victim of cyberbullying that happened the night before in a whatsapp group that was created for students living in hostels to have easy access to information. An anonymous message link was sent to the group and requested people to be dropping messages for fun.
“One day the group admin sent an anonymous game link and said everyone should drop messages, it’s just for fun. Someone I might know or even a roommate of mine drops a message mentioning my name, my roommate, department and even my level,” Chindara said with her trembling voice.
Chindara further shared that this unknown person mentioned in the anonymous group message that her shapeless body is no longer agile, likening her boobs to the fallen breast of an aged person.
Whenever the thought touches the abyss of Chindara’s heart, she felt her life torn and lost confidence in herself. She narrated how she performed below standard in her academics, “I lost concentration whenever I remembered how I was mocked for something I have absolutely no control on.”
Chindara’s story is not unique. Many students have been mentally affected as a result of cyberbullying. Speaking with PEN PRESS, Maryam Ayomide said she had once been accused of dating two of her coursemates when the narrative was actually far from being true. “Many of us are not strong enough to handle strong criticism.”
Abubakar Aisha also shared that anonymous messages often lead to bullying or harassment which create a toxic environment. She believes that it can also lead to anxiety, stress and create fear in the mind of a student who receives such a message.
Report from the National Library of Medicine agreed that victims report lower school performance and school attachment as a result of cyberbullying. It showed that A total of 15.8% of students reported cyberbullying and 25.9% reported school bullying in the past 12 months. A majority (59.7%) of cyberbullying victims were also school bullying victims; 36.3% of school bullying victims were also cyberbullying victims.
According to UNICEF, “more than a third of young people in 30 countries report being a victim of online bullying.”
“Don’t Isolate Yourself” – Expert Advised
Malam Misbahu Kaura, the examination officer and lecturer at the department of Educational Foundation, also a lecturer of Guidance and Counseling, said ” This is a serious offense and students caught in act shall be punished.”
He advised that, “The victims should not try to heal alone by Isolating themselves. They should visit the school counseling unit so that a trained counselor can help minimize the effects of the act.”
Misbahu further stated that body-shaming is more than words or jokes, students should know there’s individual differences and everyone is unique in one way or the other.
He encouraged the students of Guidance and Counseling to collaborate with the Students’ Union to organize a rally on body shaming and its implications.
Editor’s Note: The WhatsApp group is no longer in existence.
This report is supported by the National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ), Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS).