Pink soldiers

TODAY, “soldiers” in pink will stand up to fight against the act of bullying.

Bullying is no funny matter. It happens at schools, workplaces, in public, and can sometimes lead to serious consequences, even suicide.

Victims, especially youth, often suffer from psychological trauma, which some of them carry into their adulthood.

Pink Shirt Day, which began in Canada in 2008, marks an anti-bullying day when participants wear pink, as a symbol of protest against bullying.

The birth of this event was inspired by a case where male student Charles McNeill was bullied for wearing a pink shirt during his first day of school.

Two seniors – David Shepherd and Travis Price – heard about the incident and decided to make a difference. They visited a discount store and bought 50 pink shirts, and wore it to school the very next day. They also e-mailed friends and classmates to join the “sea of pink” campaign.

From merely two seniors initially, McNeil walked in to school the next day to find hundreds of students dressed in pink to encourage him to say “no” to bullying.

The story got attention globally, with many schools initiating their own “pink day”.

“It’s been totally overwhelming for us. I mean, we’re just two local boys and we’re getting calls from Alaska and e-mails, too. It’s just phenomenal the support that we’ve gotten from across the globe,” said Price in one report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Feb 27 marks anti-bullying day and Pink Shirt Day is practised all over the world – including Malaysia – to create a community that will not tolerate bullying.

Do you know any victims of bullying? Be an antibullying “soldier” and wear pink today!