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A national campaign against bullying yesterday called on the Government to amend the Parents' Charter to give parents and children a guarantee that complaints about bullying will be taken seriously. The call was made by ChildLine at the launch in London of its new report - titled Why Me? - which includes the results of a study carried out among children and in schools. The findings revealed that bullying in schools is still rife and that violent bullying, especially of boys, may be increasing.

ChildLine's chairman, Esther Rantzen, said: "At last the myth that bullying is good for you, that it is character forming, has been exploded. Bullying isn't good for anyone. It is a major cause of truancy. It destroys the victim's capacity to learn and enjoy school. And in extreme cases it can even lead to suicide - around 10 children every year kill themselves because they are bullied."