Every child has probably heard the maxim: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Many a parent used to tell their children that phrase to help them deal with the name-calling and physical bullying in the playground.

But it was, and still is, one of the biggest fallacies around. Bullying is a very serious issue. Bullying can kill. Teenagers have taken their own lives rather than put up with the daily trauma of being kicked, punched and beaten.

A new policy document launched yesterday obliges educators to report any form of bullying to the Anti Bullying Services unit.

Educators can report any form of bullying to the designate person placed in each State school to deal with such matters. When the case is reported to the anti bullying services unit, the parent of the child is informed and procedures are taken accordingly, depending on the case.

Last year, the unit received a total 254 alleged bullying referrals which took place in State schools, boys turning out to be the common denominators.

This is all positive, as it will allow children another escape. If they cannot report a matter themselves, teachers can now do it on their behalf.

But there is another darker and more sinister form of bullying and that takes place over the internet. Social networks are a haven for trolling, where people can leave anonymous posts about people. Hiding behind anonymity can bring out the worst in people. Parents have become more savvy with the internet, as they too are a generation of users. But despite the firewalls and safety tools, kids can still end up in some very dark places.

Some might say that children should just stay away (or be kept away) from the internet until they are older. But that is not the way modern society works. Parents need to be in tune with what their children are doing when they are online. Parents also need to make sure that their children are comfortable in approaching them and speaking to them about issues.

In doing so, parents can ensure that their offspring will come to them if they are being bullied. The most important factor here is to make sure that children do not feel embarrassed about the fact that they might not be able to stand up for themselves. Children need to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that they can approach educators and their parents and to know that bullying, on whatever level, is not tolerated. Bullying can, and has, killed young people. No child should ever have to feel that at such a young age, that there is no way out. There is a way out and it is very simple: speak up.