In England, 223,410 kids aged 11 and 16 were driven to the brink in the last
18 months. All because of being victims to bullying made their lives hell. 2.4
million kids which is 6 out of 10, have been bullied in the past 18 months. There
is a helping hand campaign to stop bullying called BeatBullying. They had
pictures of 16 kids who killed their selves after bullies made their life hell.

Karl Peart, 16, who took an overdose
of painkillers after being bullied at schools since the age of four. He left a
letter to his mother, saying: "Mam, I'm sorry I have done this." On
it was Karl's handprint, which we adopted as the Helping Hand symbol. Two weeks
later Gemma Dimmick, 15 who was taunted at the same school, also killed herself
with an overdose. In the same year, Leeds United fan Christopher O'Reilly, 15, made
a noose with his team's scarf to kill himself over bullying.

Next Oliver Sabine, 17, also hanged
himself. Thomas Thompson, 11, from Merseyside took an overdose of painkillers
after being attacked by a gang on his way to school who taunted him, calling
him Fatso. Later Marianne Shanks, 15, hanged herself on the farm where she
lived in Perthshire. The blonde pupil at a £7,000-a-year private school had
suffered constant verbal abuse in the playground. Kentucky Fried Chicken worker
Hannah Kirkham, 18, was warned she would be "cut up into little
pieces" by workmates. The bright girl, who was studying to become a
lawyer, plied herself with pills which left her in a fatal coma.

Quiet Aaron Armstrong, 12, loved
working on his parents' farm in County Antrim. But the first-year grammar
school pupil was found hanging in a hay shed after a merciless gang of
schoolboys goaded him to total despair. Angelic Amy Rose Tipton, 14, felt she
was unpopular at schooland ended up dead after taking an overdose of
anti-depressants. And Laura Rhodes was just 13 when she and overweight pal
Rebecca Ling, 17, from Birmingham, tried to end their lives in a suicide pact
because of taunting. Rebecca survived but Laura died after swallowing dozens of
painkillers

A vicious "happy slapping"
attack at his school was the final straw for Shaun Noonan, 14, who hanged
himself. While Jonathan Reynolds, 15, of lay down on a railway track as a train
approached and sent a goodbye text to his family. It said: "Tell everyone
who eva said anything bad about me, see I DO have feelings too." Another
sad note was left by bullied 16-year-old Laurence Manning before he hanged
himself at his home. He said: "I just can't take living anymore."

Three others who hanged themselves
were Ben Vodden, 11, who was taunted on the school bus; 12-year-old Nathan
Jones, from Romford, Essex, who left a heartbreaking diary of bullying; and
Anna Marie Averill, 15, who faced months of persecution by girls at her
Birmingham school.

Which is why it needs to be taken more seriously, bullies shoulds be expelled on the second offense. It's not as though it's an unconcious thing. I think that anyone who even flat-tires someone should be thrown in detention and sent to a school for mindless thugs.

And I don't care if they have some pathetic excuse like broken homes, mental issues and all that. If that's the case, then expel them on the FIRST offense, if you can't be punished, you shouldn't be in a school.

Bullying has been around for such a long time. I remember when I was a kid. I use to be the one who use to beat up the bullies who were picking on my friends who were less fortunate. Now that I have grown up, I have taught my son not to be the victim. He had told me about some kid who was bullying him and his friend at school. He had told his teacher but she didn't do anything about it. I had told him that he should not let anyone put him down or hit on him. Last Spring, I received a phone call from his principle because he and his friend fought back against the bully who had been bullying them all year. I did not punish him becasue that is the only way to stop a bully is to beat him or her at their own game. I have raised my son to always defend those who are weaker and less fortunate than himself.

Amen, I take crap from nobody, and nobody gives crap to my friends. When some asshole insulted my girlfriend for being flat at age 14, I smacked him one right across the face. He changed his attitude after that, and now we're good friends. Right Aries?

Now I remember why I always picked you to gamble with. XD. Talk about converting with a touch, never did it again, I swear that.

One kid who had a history of bullying at the school near where I live, the parents threatened the school with a class-action lawsuit after the school said that he had some issues due to his dad being a drunk, and they wouldn't punish him because he was "traumatized and confused". So yeah, that kid got kicked out last month, and the homeschooled kids number for my area took a nice jump as well. I wish people would take action like that more.

ybpublishing2 said: Bullying has been around for such a long time. I remember when I was a kid. I use to be the one who use to beat up the bullies who were picking on my friends who were less fortunate. Now that I have grown up, I have taught my son not to be the victim. He had told me about some kid who was bullying him and his friend at school. He had told his teacher but she didn't do anything about it. I had told him that he should not let anyone put him down or hit on him. Last Spring, I received a phone call from his principle because he and his friend fought back against the bully who had been bullying them all year. I did not punish him becasue that is the only way to stop a bully is to beat him or her at their own game. I have raised my son to always defend those who are weaker and less fortunate than himself.

This is the right idea. Kids should be taught to always defend themselves and stand up to these creeps. However, there are some kids that will never do this no matter how much they get bullied. In these instances the parents need to step into the schools and take action. Your kids may not like it, but do it anyways, and don't give up when the principle doesn't do anything. Take it to the board of education. Take it to the police. There are too many suicides to let bullying slide.

Sometimes girls can be the cruelist.  My best friend was the prettiest girl in school and after getting voted 'Biggest Flirt' everyone started calling her a slut and really horrible names.  She didn't act like one, but all the guys like her and she was just a really nice person.  But I remember other girls would throw water bottles at her and spread horrible rumors about her.  After a while she decided to be homeschooled and it ruined her because she could never trust anyone.  I would stand up for her, but there's only so much you can do.  But you guys are right, it takes some courage, but you have to learn to stand up to bulliles so that they won't give you crap for the rest of your life. 

I agree with you, stormstar.

There's also something else parents should stop to consider - their behavior and attitudes and what their kids tend to imitate or inherit.  It's all nice and dandy to say parents should step in when their sons/daughters are the victims of bullies - even if the kids are embarrassed by the notion - but what about the paremts of the bullies?  Some moms and dads have very assertive/aggressive personalities themselves and might pass on, either on purpose or purely on  a subconscious level, attitudes and belief systems that lend themselves to bullying people.

Some parents also have blind spots where their children are concerned, either because they feel their offspring can do no wrong - "My Marcie? Oh, she's never do anything like that!"  - or they don't want to admit their kids are, indeed, holy terrors.

I kind of got teased  when I was a kid but it never really got to me much. ITs crazy though because although I totally hated it when I was a kid, I never did anything to hurt them back or said anything mean, but i jsut wished them the worst and its crazy how God works his wonders. Because once I got into high school, I was the popular one and the one that got all the girls while all the ones who picked on me were the ones being picked on. I am true proof of Karma!!!

Me and my friend were talking about this the other day. We were both not exactly the best looking people in elementary school, but as we got into high school we were much better looking than all the other guys that were good looking in elementary school. All the girls that we wanted to date then and were total brats to us then wanted us in high school. I love how karma comes back around :)