A mother in Jouberton, outside Klerksdorp in the North West, wants answers following a failed suicide attempt by her 15-year-old daughter, after she had complained about relentless bullying at school.
The Grade 9 learner from Alabama Secondary School is said to have slit her wrists in an apparent attempt to take her own life.
Her frustrated mother said the abuse has gone on for over a year and that the school management has done nothing to help her.
“My daughter has been bullied since the first day she started school there last year. I initially did not consider it to be a major problem. They stole her school bag, used a scissor to cut her hair, mocked her, and laughed at her,” she said.
The mother said her daughter informed her that the bullies were continually reminding her that “even though she is good-looking and performing well in school, she will not be able to erase the fact that she comes from the informal settlement and lives in a shack.”
On Tuesday, things took a turn for the worst when her daughter allegedly attempted suicide after the tormenting continued.
“When I took my daughter to school, I thought the teachers would be her second parents, but she lives in fear; she is not safe, but she is at school; there is a principal; there are teachers; but they are doing nothing,” she explained.
A legal expert at North West University’s Law Clinic, Sammy Leshilo, advised the mother to escalate the situation to the police.
“That conduct is wrong; that conduct is unacceptable because it goes back to the constitution, as the constitution dictates that each student has the right to be educated; that environment also must be an environment that is not harmful, an environment that is safe, and ensure that the wellbeing of a child is guaranteed and protected accordingly.
“Bullying is wrong, and there are consequences to that. If a student is found to be bullying other students on the basis of their physical characteristics or being violent or physically abusive towards them, then that particular student may face consequences like being expelled from school, and sometimes if the parents of the bullied students feel that the school is not doing enough, they reserve the right to open a criminal case against that particular bully,” he said.
The North West Department of Education has also condemned the reports of bullying saying violence has no place in school.
“We make it clear that our schools will never be a place of aggressive behaviour, assaults, or bullying. Violence has no place in our schools, and we urge school administrators or management to collaborate with parents and the Department of Education to put an end to these acts of ill-discipline and misconduct as soon as possible,” he said.
