Grieving Parents Share How Constant Bullying Took the Life of Their 10-Year-Old Daughter: ‘We have to stop it within our kids’ | WATCH
Ashawnty Davis, a 10-year-old Colorado girl has been taken off life support two weeks after the schoolgirl hung herself in a closet at home, after constant merciless bullying by classmates.
Ashawnty, a fifth-grade pupil of Sunrise Elementary school in Aurora, Colorado had got into her first ever school fight which turned out to also be her last and the video recording of her being taunted and bullied was posted online.
Her father, Anthony Davis, KDVR-TV,
“It’s just devastating. She was just a child of joy and she brought joy to everyone.”
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Her mother, Latoshia Harris, claimed the girl had been bullying her.
The incident was recorded by another student, who then sent the footage to an app called Musical.ly.
In the video, Ashawnty and another girl are seen fighting as a group of kids gathered around to watch.
Ashawnty’s mother says that her daughter confronted a girl who was bullying her, ‘I saw my daughter was scared’.
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Reiterated Ashawnty’s father,
‘She was devastated when she found out that it had made it to Musical.ly.’
After the clip was posted online, Ashawnty was subjected to frequent teasing and bullying at school, according to her parents.
They said that the abuse their daughter took turned her into a different person. Ashawnty could no longer live with the shame.
”My daughter came home two weeks later and hanged herself in the closet,” Harris said.
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Her parents hope her story will help save the lives of other young people. Harris and Davis are urging other parents to be on the lookout for signs of ‘bullycide’ – a term describing when a child is driven to suicide because of bullying.
“We have to stop it and we have to stop it within our kids,” Mr Davis said.
“I want other parents to know that it’s happening,
That was my baby and I love my baby and I just want mothers to listen.”
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Following Ashawnty’s death, The Cherry Creek School District which has jurisdiction over Sunrise Elementary issued a statement,
‘This is a heartbreaking loss for the school community. Mental health supports will be made available for any students who need help processing the loss.
We do not tolerate bullying of any kind in our schools and we have a comprehensive bullying prevention program in place at all of our schools.
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‘The safety and well-being of students is our highest priority and we strive every today to ensure schools are safe, welcoming and supportive places that support learning.
We were made aware of that video when a media outlet approached us with it. We took immediate action in response, turning the video over to police and addressing the matter with students.’
‘It should also be noted that the video did not take place during school hours.’
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According to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center, more than one out of ever 5 students report being bullied. The study noted 64% of children who were bullied not report it, with only 36% reported the bullying.
Of note, the study notes ‘a strong association between bullying and suicide-related behaviors,’ while asserting the dynamic is often mediated by other factors, including depression, violent behavior, and substance abuse.
READ ALSO: Boy Bullied At School Commits Suicide After Writing A Sad Note
Photo credit: Facebook
Bullying has been a constant issue in our societies lately and some of these kids doesn’t even understand how to handle it. I feel so bad for this parents.
Sad.
sad