But, however bullying rears its head, its results can be significant. And to some children, they can be devastating.

It has been estimated that somewhere in the region of 200,000 schoolchildren are at risk from suffering the ill effects of bullying (according to research carried out by ABC, the Anti-Bullying Centre at Trinity College). This is based on research which suggests that some 31% of primary students and 16% of secondary students have been bullied at some time. It is not just you classic "school victim" who is singled out . . .

practically anyone can be bullied, for practically any reason. Indeed, anything that differentiates a person . . . their hair colour, their accent, where they happened to be standing at the time . . . can be enough justification for bullies to go about their business. And it is not only the small kids who are bullied.

The reasons for bullying can be complex. These can include (at home) a lack of care and attention, too much attention and inconsistent discipline, especially for aggressive behaviour; while at school factors such as low staff morale, inconsistent and inflexible rules and a curriculum which affords few feelings for success or achievement can come into play. There is often a tendency to portray the bully as a victim to be pitied, but this will come as cold comfort for the actual victim of bullying . . . who may experience an array of negative emotions ranging from stress and lack of motivation to panic attacks, depression and attempted suicide.

There is also a real danger for the bully him or herself, and for society in general.

According to ABC, if aggressive behaviour is not challenged in childhood, there is a danger that it may become habitual. Indeed, there is research evidence, to indicate that bullying during childhood puts children at risk of criminal behaviour and domestic violence in adulthood.

So what can be done? Verbal bullying can be difficult to pin down (for example, the spreading of malicious rumours is described as a particularly insidious form of verbal bullying), while physical bullying is often written off as mere horseplay.

Bullying by exclusion can be difficult to combat because of the complex nature of juvenile peer groups, while e-bullying might be just too technologically advanced for certain luddite members of authority to understand. But, despite the difficulties in dealing with bullying, the message, according to ABC, is clear . . . to prevent the cycle of violence from one generation to the next, adults, in all possible situations must intervene; failure to act gives a silent but powerful message that aggressive behaviour is appropriate and acceptable. Moreover, valuable opportunities are lost for shaping society's general attitude to violence and oppression.

There are, naturally, some warning signs to look out for.

These include unexplained bruising, cuts or damaged clothes, visible signs of anxiety or distress, or unexplained mood swings.

Deteriorating educational attainments and erratic attendance are also things that the school can look out for, as well as less tangible signs such as artwork expressing inner turmoil. But recognition of a problem is not enough in itself . . . action is the key to trying to minimise of bullying.

ABC suggests a number of courses of action, including empowering the schools to act. Making sure that your child's school has the policy and the programme in place that ensures that, whether your child is a bully or is being bullied, his or her problems will be identified and acted upon.

It also suggests empowering pupils to report incidents, and underlines the fact that statements to children like "you shouldn't tell tales" and discouraging whistleblowing at a young age can have detrimental repercussions when it comes to incidents of bullying. Children must feel that it is always right to tell people when it is wrong.