It was gut wrenching to read about Ben Vodden in the papers today. He hanged himself last year because of bullying. He was only 11 years old.
Children can be so cruel. There are those that single out the kids who look different, speak funny, wear the wrong trainers, or are good at maths. There are those that use physical violence, and there are those, like the ones who bullied Ben, that prefer to pick, taunt and tease until the victim’s self esteem is completely worn away.
My heart goes out to them; the lone boy sitting on the bus wishing he was invisible so the jeers behind his back would cease; the girl who gets spat on and is too afraid of recrimination even to acknowledge the fat wedge of chewing gum nestling in her hair; the kids who have no friends and wonder around like lost souls, sporadically used as moving targets by the boys playing football. I wish I could do something to make it better, like I wish it could have been a little better for me.
It is too late for Ben, but I hope that his suicide will shock some of these bullies into realizing what they do, and what the consequences can be.
From one lost soul to another: Goodbye Ben. I hope you have found happiness.
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