The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) expresses sincere condolences to the family of Daniel Fitzpatrick, a 13 year old 7th grader from Staten Island, New York who committed suicide on Thursday, August 11, 2016 as a result of being bullied in school. According to news reports, Daniel had made several complaints to his teachers at school, however the bullying continued to happen and he eventually took his own life as a result of the trauma he endured.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case and bullying is a serious concern across communities and schools around the country. An important challenge for parents, educators and the broader community is to ensure that there are policies, and equally important, procedures designated to address bullying in schools. It is important that adults take the time to listen to the concerns of the children in their communities and make the necessary changes to include the voices of children to end bullying in schools completely.
“Children have the human right to be free from violence in all forms whether it be at home or in school,” said Imad Hamad, AHRC Executive Director. “To lose a child to suicide in our society as a result of bullying is a strong indication of the difficult work ahead in our communities to change the current culture,” added Mr. Hamad.
AHRC-USA encourages all members of the community to play an active role to eliminate bullying in our schools and communities. There are many resources available to raise awareness around bullying and the long term trauma. In this day and age, every child’s life depends on our work as a society to end bullying in all forms.
Read Daniel’s letter about bullying: www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/08/16/a-boy-who-killed-himself-wrote-a-letter-about-bullying-his-struggles-may-have-started-at-home/
For more information on bullying and what to do, please visit: http://www.stopbullying.gov/