An Australian mom has given a firsthand account of the devastating effects of bullying on her son in a now-viral clip.
In the heart-wrenching anti-bullying video, Yarraka Bayles’ son Quaden Bayles — who was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that results in dwarfism — sobs in the family car after another child at his school taunted him about his height, she says.
“I wish I could stab myself in my heart,” Quaden, 9, says through tears. “I want someone to kill me.”
Yarraka says she wanted to share the video to raise awareness about bullying and get advice from other parents on how to deal with the effects, which have included suicide attempts by her young son.
“I want people to know, this is the effect bullying has,” she says from behind the camera. “This is what bullying does. All it takes is one more instant, and you wonder why kids are killing themselves.”
Breaking down in tears herself, she adds, “I want people to know how much this is hurting us as a family … I’ve got to constantly keep my eye on him because of the suicide attempts.”
She also says in the video she hopes schools will do a better job of educating other kids about disabilities so that her son can be spared from the constant ridicule.
Since she posted the video Tuesday, it’s gotten 11 million views, and has rallied the support of their community, including athletes from the Indigenous Australian professional rugby league.
“Just want to wish you all the best, brother. We know you’re going through a hard time right now but the boys are here, we’ve got your back. We’re here to support you, bud,” said one of the team’s players, Latrell Mitchell, in a video to Quaden. “Just make sure you’re thinking the right things, bud, because we want you around. It’s going to mean more to us than it will to you, bud. Just make sure you’re looking after us and hopefully we’ll get to see you in the next couple of days.”
Stateside, the effects of bullying have impacted kids around the same age as Quaden. A 10-year-old Texas boy killed himself after he was relentlessly tormented at school by his classmates, and an Ohio sixth-grader reportedly took his own life after school bullies told him to commit suicide. Another 10-year-old boy in Kentucky allegedly committed suicide because of relentless bullying over his colostomy bag.
“Nobody knows the battles we face in private,” Bayles says in the video. “I usually share all the positive highlights, but this stuff needs to be addressed to save our babies’ lives.”