Intimidation

Bullying
Intimidating people
Threat
Terrorizing
Dependence on intimidation

Nature

Intimidation is the use of force or superior power to discourage people from certain activities or thoughts, or to enforce other activities or thoughts against their will. Intimidation may be physical or psychological and may relate to a wide range of situations. It induces fear, apathy and alienation, reinforces barriers to progress and facilitates exploitation.

Terrorizing is threatening to commit any crime of violence or dangerous act or falsely informing another that a dangerous situation exists with the intent of keeping another person in sustained fear, causing evacuation of a building, facility or transportation means, or causing serious other public inconvenience. This includes phone and mail threats as well as bomb scares.

Background

The global significance of intimidation emerged prominently in the 20th century, as reports of coercion in workplaces, politics, and social movements gained international attention. High-profile cases, such as those documented by human rights organizations and labor unions, highlighted intimidation’s pervasive role in suppressing dissent and perpetuating inequality. Subsequent research and legal frameworks have increasingly recognized intimidation as a barrier to justice, democratic participation, and personal security across diverse societies.

Incidence

Intimidation is a pervasive issue affecting individuals and groups across diverse sectors, including workplaces, educational institutions, political arenas, and online environments. Reports from organizations such as the International Labour Organization and UNESCO indicate that millions worldwide experience intimidation annually, with significant impacts on mental health, productivity, and civic participation. The problem transcends cultural and national boundaries, manifesting in both overt and subtle forms, and is frequently underreported due to fear of retaliation.
In 2023, intimidation was widely reported during the Nigerian general elections, where voters and electoral officials faced threats and harassment at polling stations. Observers documented numerous incidents, raising concerns about electoral integrity and democratic participation.

Claim

Any excuse will serve a tyrant (Aesop, The Wolf and the Lamb).

Counter-claim

A threat can be just or unjust, good or bad, depending upon whether the threatened retaliatory measure is morally justifiable. The sanction normally attached to positive law is, in effect, a threat of punishment to be inflicted upon its transgressors. To threaten punishment may therefore be reasonable and virtuous, and a parent, teacher, or a custodian of the law, would fail in his duty if he neglected in some circumstances to threaten punishment. Prudence and care for the society and the individual to be threatened must dictate the norms to be observed in making justifiable threats.

The perceived danger of bullying has been wildly exaggerated. The definition of what constitutes bullying has been expanded to include almost every form of negative human encounter. Some self-proclaimed experts say bullying is an attitude rather than an act, or that it is defined by the impact of the act on the recipient, not by the intention of actor. Such definitions mean that we can bully without knowing it, by merely thinking negatively about another.

Intimidation

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Incidence

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Narrower

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Reference

SDG

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