I wonder if there is such a thing as a 'born victim'? Some of my pupils in the past seemed to 'attract' bullying. I even had a girl pupil who was moved to another school because of her distress, and she was promptly bullied there as well, poor child. I'm NOT saying it was her fault, there's no excuse for it, but some types just seem to become a target automatically. Yet I've also seen little weaklings with no apparent attractive qualities become quite dominant and well-respected by their peers. What IS it that provokes this reaction? I even have a cat ('Murphy') who is bullied by the others. He's strong and fit, but he is fearful of the other two, one of which is his brother. Is there something genetic or primitive going on, which the thin veneer of civilised behaviour doesn't control? If so, how do we combat it?