Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Challenge bullying in all forms

At what age do we develop courage? Hard to say. For some it may never be necessary. Things just happen and you're content to go with the flow, taking the road of least resistance and having a comfortable journey through life. Others, though, hold beliefs they know to be right and true. They will defend these, often with their life. They don't have to be big earth shattering truths, just knowing what's right and wrong and deciding to speak up about it when something is wrong.

I don't believe courage arrives at a certain age. It is more often nurtured in the home and can appear at anytime when fearless action is called for.

I think Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai is incredibly courageous. She is the daughter of a school principal and was deliberately shot in the head three weeks ago in her country by the local Taleban. Why? Because she believes girls have a right to be educated in Pakistan and said so. She started early being courageous and finding her voice. She wrote a popular blog for the BBC for two years detailing what life was like in her province living under the influence of the Taleban, the hardline Islamists who terrorise her home area. Pakistan was not always a country that saw education for girls and women as bad. In fact free and compulsory education is a right of all Pakistani children in their constitution.

It is only since the Taleban has gained influence in certain provinces that changes are being imposed on the roles of girls and women in Pakistani society.

It is hard to believe that any modern country would consider it wrong and pointless for girls to receive an education. If a government or a controlling group feels so strongly that girls shouldn't receive an education, why not allow the girls themselves to decide. But with pressure being exerted daily throughout Pakistan by the Taleban, that's hardly likely to happen. When you allow an unelected group to call the shots, this is a form of bullying.

Girls and women in Pakistan are being bullied into accepting they cannot receive an education. The government, by allowing the Taleban to gain power and influence to spread their hardline doctrine are displaying the complete opposite to the courage shown by schoolgirl Malala.

We probably don't see the Pakistani situation as bullying. There must be a bigger, more complex explanation than just bullying. And that would be right. Just think of all the countries where the Taleban has left a footprint. But the methods they employ - intimidation, harassment and violence - are all the worst forms of bullying. Bullying happens in all societies and at all levels. We mistakenly think it is just a school or workplace problem because bullies habitually manifest in these places. They don't get challenged as soon as the bullying behaviour becomes apparent so they continue their unwelcome actions. The results can be severe stress, misery and sometimes terrible consequences for those they prey on.

I have watched bullies over the years, and still see them operating today. They are spineless creatures who have a need to bolster their own self esteem and shortcomings by exhibiting loathsome behaviour towards others. They need to "put down" others in order to feel good about themselves. "Young people can be like that" I hear you saying. No these are not young adults.

The bullies I observe every week are all older people, many I presume with children and grandchildren of their own. They find it hard to comprehend that their behaviour is that of the typical bully. But it is and they become extremely upset when this is pointed out to them. There is no courage required to be a bully nor is there any upper age limit to being one. Malala has shown courage can start at an early age. She displays the courage her government lacks. A leader in waiting perhaps!