Abuse, violence and harassment worldwide is an issue that can be perceived in different ways and, in the case of children and adolescents, can even be caused by a peer. The case of Drayke Hardman, a 12-year-old American boy who committed suicide after being a victim of bullying, once again set off alarm bells in the world about this often ignored problem.
According to figures from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO, around 246 million children and adolescents worldwide could be victims of violence inside or outside their schools.
Bullying is a real social phenomenon, a problem that should not be taken lightly and that must be addressed quickly once detected, in order to help the victim and avoid dramatic outcomes, as in the case of Drayke Hardman.
Bullying claims one more victim
“This… This is the result of bullying. My beautiful son was fighting a battle that not even I could have saved him from. “It is real, it is silent and there is absolutely nothing as a parent you can do to take away this deep pain.”
With these words Samie Hardman begins a publication on his Instagram account, accompanied by a series of photographs where he can be seen hugging his now deceased son, who at 12 years of age He decided to take his own life after being bullied at school..
On February 14, local media reported on the heartbreaking case of Drayke Hardman, a 12-year-old boy who lived with his parents and two older sisters in Utah, United States, and who, according to statements from his parents, he was a victim of bullying at his school.
In an interview with KUTV, the boy’s parents, Andy and Samie Hardman, mentioned that in the last days before their son’s death they had been in constant contact with the school, because Drayke had already He had some signs of violence on his body.
Earlier last week, Drayke Hardman had returned home with a black eye and told one of his sisters that the injury had been the result of a fight with one of his teammates.
After this, Drayke was absent from his basketball practice on Wednesday night and that was when he decided to commit suicide. His sisters were the ones who found him in that terrible scene. Drayke was immediately taken to the hospital, although his health was already quite compromised. He was pronounced dead Thursday morning..
#Doitfordrayke A campaign started by the boy’s parents
Devastated by the death of their little boy, a victim of bullying, the Hardman family started a social media campaign with the hashtag #Doitfordraykewhich in Spanish would be “Do it for Drayke”, with the aim of calling on parents around the world to Be alert to any signs of violence or harassment in your childrenand to intervene immediately to prevent them from suffering in silence and making decisions that turn into tragedies.
“My heart is broken, I don’t know how to fix it, or if I ever will, but I will spend every minute teaching kindness in the memory of my favorite person. His purpose here was to teach kindness, show love and he absolutely did that, he took anyone as a friend so they would have one. Once you were in Drayke’s tribe, you were there forever,” Samie Hardman mentioned via her Instagram account.
For his part, Drayke’s father mentioned what a big fan his son was of the Utah Jazz basketball team, and shared the following message through his Twitter account: “Our sweet 12-year-old baby died this morning after an attempt to take his own life last night. He is @utahjazz’s biggest fan. Thank you for making a bright spot in his heart. #doitfordrayke.”
One of the team’s players, Donovan Mitchell, retweeted the message and mentioned that he was praying for the Hardman family.
What are the signs of bullying to watch out for?
The news about the death of little Drayke has gone around the world, raising concern about a problem that affects a large number of students, children and adolescents in the worldand that most of the time they tend to keep secret.
For this reason, as Drayke’s mother indicates in her publication, it is important that parents are always attentive to any sign that may indicate a possible case of bullying in their children.
The main signs of bullying are the following:
- Stomach aches, headaches and desire to stay home
Most of the time, children who are victims of bullying can express their fear and stress, through stomach pains or headachesin addition to completely refusing to go to school.
This can be a clear sign that there is something that is making them feel uncomfortable in their place of study, so if it becomes a recurring thing, it is essential to contact the school to determine what the problem could be.
- Sudden behavior changes
You must be very attentive to sudden changes in behavior in a child. If a child who is usually proactive and happy, from one day to the next appears withdrawn, sad and shows signs of worry, it could be a clear sign that something is not going well in her life.
Additionally, you must be alert to other Attitudes that may indicate that a child is being bulliedsuch as avoiding talking about how he is doing at school, locking himself in his room, etc.
- Decrease in school results
Naturally, some children may encounter difficulties in their school career. However, if your child has always proven to be a good student and suddenly his grades are slipping, he may be a a sign that you are worried and distracted by the abuse.
- Behavior in your classroom
When a child who is participatory and constantly intervenes in class suddenly becomes more withdrawn and silent, or tends to isolate yourself from your other colleaguesit may be an indication that there is something that is not making you feel comfortable, possibly a case of bullying.
- Pay attention to your networks and cell phone
Nowadays, bullying is also common. demonstrate at the victim’s homethrough text messages with hate notes, or even through social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Snapchat or WhatsApp.
If you notice that your child changes his mood when receiving a call or text message, it may be a clear sign that he is being bullied.
Types of bullying
Often, a child who is a victim of bullying may be suffering from one or more types of harassment simultaneouslywhich may be causing serious damage to their social and psychological development.
The different types of bullying that can be identified are the following:
- physical harassment: In countries like the United States, unfortunately this is usually one of the most common types of abuse. According to figures from the US Department of Justice, approximately 282,000 high school students are physically attacked each month by other classmates at their schools.
- Verbal harassment: This type of abuse usually occurs when a student is subjected to ridicule, humiliation, insults, and displays of contempt. It is usually one of the most common worldwide and can even manifest itself through social networks, calls and text messages.
- psychological harassment: Psychological bullying occurs when a child receives all kinds of threats from his or her schoolmates. This often happens with the aim of taking an object from the child, or even to force him to do something that he should not do.
- social harassment: It manifests itself when a child is isolated by his classmates, preventing him from participating in games or activities in which different classmates from his classroom share.
Each of these types of bullying can even manifest themselves together, through the signs that we mentioned in the previous section. As parents, it is important to be attentive to any signs or signals, so as to act immediately and prevent the consequences from being much more serious.
How should I act if my child is a victim of bullying?
Often when parents discover that their children are being abused or bullied, worry and stress can lead them to make poor decisions, such as forcing the child to respond violently, or even not knowing how to help stop the situation.
Some Recommendations to act in the face of a case of bullying are the following:
- Keep calm. Although it may seem difficult due to the frustration and helplessness that may be felt after learning about the problem, it is important to remain calm and calm, in order to psychologically support the child.
- Listen to everything the child says. In order to better understand the situation, it is important to give the minor complete confidence so that he can vent and tell about all the harassment of which he may have been a victim. You should never doubt what the child says.
- Avoid feelings of guilt. Neither the parents, nor the child, are to blame for the bullying that the minor may be a victim of.
- Never take justice into your own hands. If the identity of the child’s bully is known, one should never respond with a violent attitude towards the aggressor or the school authorities.
- Report the case to teachers or the police authority. It is important that, to stop the situation, the case of harassment of which the child is being victim is reported to the teachers or school authorities. Additionally, if the child is being physically harassed and shows signs of violence, the case should be reported immediately to local law enforcement authorities.
Remember that it can be difficult for a child to talk about a case of bullying that they may be a victim of. If he tells you about the bullying he is experiencing at school, or you discover it yourself, be sure to Give him all your support, tell him that he is not alone and that together you can solve the problem.
Where to report a case of bullying in the United States?
According to figures from the US Department of Justice, half of cases of bullying go unreported. It is important take early action against a case of bullyingin order to avoid tragedies like that of little Drayke Hardman.
In the United States there are different lines where you can ask for help in cases of bullyingsuch as the following:
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- STOP BULLYING NOW National Line (USA): 1-800-273-8255
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Attention in English (1-800-273-8255) or in Spanish (1-888-628-9454)
- National Emergency Line: 911 (In cases where violence has escalated and becomes a danger to the health and well-being of the child)
Additionally, you can also ask for help through the stopbullying.org website at or in and thus obtain all the necessary advice…