Guangdong takes bullying by the horns

THE EDUCATION BUREAU of South China's Guangdong province recently issued a regulation together with 12 other departments, which prohibits bullying in primary and secondary schools, including the use of insulting nicknames. Thepaper.cn comments:

Nicknames are not necessarily harmful. However, some of the nicknames pupils give each other, such as "fatty" or "four eyes" or worse, are a form of bullying.

Calling someone such a name might not seem as serious as physical violence, but they can be just as wounding. Those on the receiving end of such verbal victimization often suffer from heavy psychological problems that might scar them for life.