• last year
A warning, this next story contains vision that may be distressing for some viewers. Physical, verbal or online bullying can have a devastating impact on young people and families. Concerning new data shows bullying is trending upwards across Canberra’s public schools. Some families who've been left with no other option than to leave a school entirely.

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Transcript
00:00It's a video no parent wants to see.
00:05They waited for her at the top of the school where she usually walks home by herself and
00:11she was attacked by three girls.
00:13The ABC has decided to blur and mute the footage due to its violent nature and because it depicts
00:19minors.
00:20It shows a child being grabbed and thrown to the ground before being repeatedly punched
00:24and screamed at by a group of young people.
00:27The incident, which ACT Police are investigating, left the victim with a concussion.
00:32It's just heartbreaking that she was there by herself.
00:35Her mum has watched her daughter go from an outgoing child to a shadow of her former self.
00:40She won't leave the house and even being at home she still feels unsafe.
00:44She's too scared to even go down to local shops because she's had threats made towards
00:49her.
00:50She says the school didn't offer any real support beyond suspending some of the people
00:55responsible.
00:56The ACT Education Directorate was asked to confirm this but says it won't comment on
01:00individual incidents.
01:01There's been no help.
01:02Pretty much the only solution is to give her a LSA, pretty much a security guard.
01:08For now, she's decided to keep her daughter home while they wait for a spot at a different
01:12school.
01:14Government data shows bullying has been steadily increasing.
01:17In 2021, around 1,500 reports of bullying were logged.
01:22That went up to 1,700 in 2022 and 1,900 in 2023.
01:28This year, more than 1,100 reports were already made by August.
01:33This mum has also watched her primary school-aged child be relentlessly bullied since year one.
01:39She says it started with verbal insults at schools across the border.
01:43He's been punched in the head.
01:47He's had drink bottles thrown at him.
01:50He's been told to go and kill himself.
01:52A recent incident where he was attacked by another child sent him to hospital needing
01:57scans.
01:58A child actually punched him with a cigarette lighter in his hand and this child also had
02:02a pocket knife in his pants ready to use it on my son.
02:07The mum withdrew him from school entirely for his mental health.
02:10It's frustrating that this child got a three-day suspension but my child got a lifetime of
02:16anxiety and crap from it.
02:19Both women want tougher punishments for bullies, including expulsions.
02:23Suspensions, transfers and exclusions cannot be used as a form of punishment.
02:30It is for restoring a safe environment.
02:36But when that doesn't happen, the consequences for a person's self-confidence, mental health
02:41and more can be devastating.
02:43You talk to adults who were bullied as children at school, they still remember that.
02:48It totally disrupts your opportunities in life.
02:53A concerning prospect for families dealing with it now.

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