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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