Video showing effects of bullying on girl goes viral
A DISTRESSING video showing the devastating effects of bullying on an 11-year-old girl has been posted on Facebook by her parents in desperation after they say her school took no effective action.
Lee and Natalie Davies said they took the video, with their daughter’s permission, originally just to show staff at Cyfarthfa High in Merthyr Tydfil the effects of bullying at the school on their daughter.
Footage, which has now gone viral, shows the distraught schoolgirl crying uncontrollably, panicking and seemingly unable to breathe properly as she tries to tell her mother what has happened and what’s wrong.
Frustrated by what they say was the school’s inaction when they asked for their daughter to move classes to be away from bullies the couple, who both work for the NHS, posted the harrowing video to Facebook, with their daughter’s permission.
They say they have no regrets. Since the video was posted by Lee it has been viewed 685,000 times and shared by more than 11,000 people locally and across the globe.
Messages of support have come from as far as Australia and the USA and the school has moved their daughter into a different form class, as originally requested, the couple, who have two other children aged 15 and eight, said.
Natalie, a dental nurse, said problems started within the first two weeks of her 11 year-old starting high school last month.
Despite around 10 phone calls to the school and going in to speak to a teacher, no effective action was taken until they took the drastic step of posting the video to Facebook, she claimed.
After the video went viral Natalie said the effect was instantaneous.
She was called to meetings at the school, spoke to a teacher who is also the school’s child protection officer and her daughter has now moved classes. Other pupils have offered support and she has been buoyed by positive messages on social media.
“Posting that has had an incredible effect from her going from someone not wanting to be her friend to overwhelming support.”
Lee hopes the post may help other young people being bullied that talking about it can help.
■ ‘Time for us all to break the silence that bullies hide behind’ – page 41