Thursday, August 2024
At 13 years old, Isla should be starting grade 8, but she was tormented by bullies so severely that she was forced to skip the last two terms of her school year and was held back.
She was a bright student at school: Level-headed, intelligent, well-spoken and kind. But after months of bullying she was almost unrecognisable: quiet, withdrawn and sad, as if someone had taken out the light from behind her eyes.
The torment began over a trivial misunderstanding with a boy. A group of Isla’s friends isolated her because they thought she was interested in a boy one of them liked. Isla and the boy were school mates, but despite this, her so-called friends began excluding her at every chance.
Isla* turned to her mother, Jacinta*, who promptly helped her daughter find a new group of friends. But the bullies escalated their cruelty, spreading vile rumours and pressuring her new friends to turn against her. The situation worsened with online harassment, including threats of violence and even death.
Eventually, the bullies created a Facebook group to mock Isla, involving the entire school year. By this point, Isla was utterly defeated—confused, betrayed, and scared. As a result, she missed the entire third and fourth terms.
Despite Jacinta’s desperate attempts to get support from the school, their suggestions of sitting in the library or making safety plans were futile when the abuse continued online, followed her home, beeped in her pocket or waited in the next notification. There was no escape.
Supporting her daughter became Jacinta’s full-time job. Despite her persistent efforts to contact authorities at all levels, there was little improvement. The police investigation revealed that the school had not even informed the bullies’ parents.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Jacinta lamented, “No wonder children take their own lives.”
* Isla’s identity, and the identity of her family have been changed to protect their privacy. She has graciously and bravely given us permission to share her story with you.
