List of people who died due to bullying

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There are many people who have died as result of bullying. Bullying and harassment may lead to low self esteem, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder, and in many cases, the victim experiences two or more of these symptoms. In several cases of bully-related deaths, the victim felt helpless and resorted to suicide. In other cases, bullying leads directly to a person's death through physical assault.

Contents

[edit] List of deaths

There are many cases worldwide of people dying as a result of bullying, either from suicide or homicide.

[edit] List of suicides

The following is a list of people who have committed suicide after being victims of bullying.

  • Honor student Curtis Taylor, 14, committed suicide on 22 March 1993, when he went into his bedroom and shot himself in the head after three years of bullying.[1].
  • Jared High, 13, was brutally assaulted by a known schoolyard bully. After he and the bully were both suspended, he became depressed, and eventually committed suicide in September 1998.[2].
  • Dawn-Marie Wesley, 14, took her own life in Mission, British Columbia, Canada, 10 November 2000, leaving behind a note to her familiy that referred to the bullying to which she had been subjected: "If I try to get help, it will get worse. They are always looking for a new person to beat up and they are the toughest girls. If I ratted, they would get suspended and there would be no stopping them. I love you all so much."[3].
  • Jokin Ceberio, 14, jumped from the highest point of the small fortified town of Hondarribia (Basque Country, Spain), on September 21, 2004. He became depressed a few days after the beginning of term, refusing to attend to school because he was suffering bullying from his classmates. He decided to commit suicide rather than return to his school.[4]
  • UK schoolboy Nathan Jones, 12, hanged himself on 7 April 2005. Fellow students at his school in Romford blame bullies for his death.[5].
  • Vermont boy Ryan Halligan, 13, [6][7] committed suicide, as a result of bullying:
"Ryan Halligan hung himself after prolonged bullying at school and at home through the Internet. He was repeatedly taunted online. Due to the continued bullying, Ryan latched on to the idea of killing himself as vengeance against those who had hurt him."[8]

[edit] List of homicides

The following is a list of victims who were killed by bullies.

[edit] List of other deaths

The following is a list of other bully-related deaths:

  • Ben Adams, 14, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was pushed to the ground by a bully. He lost consciousness due to a preexisting condition (neurofibromatosis) and died in hospital on 22 February 1991. In response, his mother, Hetty van Gurp founded Peaceful Schools International, an international organization to end violence and bullying in schools.[12]
  • School principal Kenji Nagata, 56, initially dismissed an incident, in which 8 fifth graders extorted about 100,000 yen from fellow students, as "financial trouble", in the Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. He later held a press conference to apologise for his error and hanged himself the next day 12 November 2006. He was posthumously reprimanded by Education Minister Bunmei Ibuki for failing to set a proper example to his students by his suicide.[9][10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Greene, B, Why weren't you his friends? Jewish World Review, 19 March 2001.
  2. ^ Brenda High's Official Website, accessed 23 January 2007.
  3. ^ Alphonso, C, Bullies push their victims to suicide The Globe and Mail, 27 November 2000.
  4. ^ Sharrock, David, Suicide despair of schoolboy who fell prey to 'el bullying' The Times, UK, October 16, 2004
  5. ^ Bullies blamed for pupil's death BBC News, 15 April 2005.
  6. ^ Death by Cyber-bully John Halligan, Boston Globe, 17 August 2005
  7. ^ Playground bullying heads to cyberspace M. Mindy Moretti, National Association of Counties
  8. ^ Newsletter of the Missouri Center for Safe Schools February 2005
  9. ^ a b Saitama boy commits suicide after schoolmate demanded money Yahoo Asia News 13 November 2006
  10. ^ a b Japan tries to preempt suicide wave China Post, 14 November 2006
  11. ^ Third Trial Finds Kelly Ellard Guilty of Murder CBC News, 13 April 2005.
  12. ^ Hetty Van Gurp has made schools safer Global National, 9 June 2006.

[edit] See Also