Rebecca Ann Sedwick committed suicide last Tuesday by jumping into the void from a cement building, living in Lakeland (Florida); I was 12 years old and a lifetime ahead… now I no longer. The authorities are investigating the authors of the cyberbullying she was being subjected to, who appear to be the same companions that a year ago motivated Rebecca's family to take her out of school due to the continued harassment the girl received.
It was by continuing his studies at Crystal Lake when Rebecca's life acquired other dyes because due to reasons I doubt anyone can understand, a group of partners initiated systematic harassment through social networks, through insulting phrases that even encouraged the victim to take his own life. A few cuts in the wrists and a hospital admission were the trigger for Tricia Norman (the mother) to decide to educate her at home, and then find a place at Lawton Academy. Adopting behavior that is impossible to explain or justify, the other girls they continued to send him humiliating comments with a clear intention to reduce Rebecca's self-esteem. We are talking about pre-adolescent girls who know how to differentiate perfectly between behaviors that are socially accepted or not, to which we can attribute a clear intent, another thing is that they can foresee the consequences, but that should not exempt the adoption of social norms that allow a good coexistence.
The girl could not do more, and after sending a message to her cyber friend Judd who lived in North Carolina, committed suicide. The note was not a warning, it was the last desperate cry of someone who thinks there is no other solution
We have read that the families of the girls who are supposedly authors of the crime of cyberbullying are collaborating with the police; it is not an extraordinary posture, but the least they can do. Stalkers no longer have anything to repair, but - regardless of the legal consequences of their action - someone must bother to become aware of what they have caused: that is, to kill a person.
Because although many may think that suicide is an individual action, It is known that during adolescence, and precisely for being in a delicate period of development, boys and girls can feel very vulnerable. In this post we talked about the prevention of teenage suicide, giving much importance to the family, alone? Obviously not, we are social beings that need communities to live.
We regret this loss (as we did in the case of Amanda Todd) and ask ourselves if it would not be time to start a social debate 'seriously' about this terrible reality, because (after all) we all have responsibility: the parents of the stalkers, the other parents who know what is happening but say nothing, the teachers, the schools, the media and society as a whole. It is not always easy for victims and their families to find the solution, at least without support.
Finally, we have to remember that in case of any serious problem that our children have with their relationships through the Internet, The first thing to do is block contacts, you must also unsubscribe profiles keeping evidence for the complaint before the authorities.
