In memory of Vanessa Yasintha Wambura (August 2003 – August 2023).

Have you ever been bullied? Do you know how to stand up to the bullies? Bullying is wrong and we all know it! It includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. The worst thing about bullying is that it can lead to someone’s death. Imagine to loose a friend, someone you know, or your loved one that way!

The recent story related to bullying was the death of a 15 year old teenager named Amanda Michelle Todd. Her story touched so many people (kids included), it received extensive media coverage, here in Canada at least! Do you know what happen to her? I think my fellow Watotoz would want to know the details; so I want to talk a bit about it. Hope you will learn something from hearing it.

Amanda Todd was a smart, sweet, kind and easy going person. She had a father and a mother and a lot of “friends.” As I found out from the media; she was very social and joined Facebook. After joining Facebook, she met an anonymous figure who flattered her so much to the point where he convinced her to take a picture of herself topless.

A year later the same person, or another anonymous person that had found the picture posted the picture online and it went viral, causing a mass of bullying and teasing.

Amanda went under depression and was treated at hospital, when she was released from the hospital, her so called “friends” started making fun of her and telling her she was in “the crazy house so she was a whacko.”

Amanda changed schools several times. As soon as she made friends, she lost them. A few months in one of her schools she started talking to her old guy friend. They talked for hours, days, weeks. Amanda later found out he had a girlfriend all that time. She had thought he had liked her. One night he texted her, saying his girlfriend was out of town and she could come over to his house. She went over to his house. BAD DECISION. Once she got back from school her “friends” girlfriend and some of her friends, including the boy, surrounded her at school. The girlfriend asked her why she had been with her boyfriend. They started to tease her and harass her, even the boy. Then out of the blue a boy in the group yelled “Just punch her already” so the girlfriend did. She punched her, and then pushed her on the ground and the group started beating her up. when the teachers found her they surrounded her. But Amanda ran away. Her father later found her in the school’s ditch. When he brought her home, she drank bleach. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital.

A few months later Amanda killed herself after posting her popular video on YouTube. Amanda had hung herself just like Robin Williams. Her last words in her video where “I have no one, I need someone.” Carol Todd, Amanda’s mother, never understood what Amanda had meant. She thought Amanda knew that her family was there for her. After Amanda died her YouTube video went viral, getting over 17 million views. Many people were filled with grief and pity. Yet, many were surprised to find hatred comments, people saying things like, ‘She deserved what happened to her’ and ‘I hate Amanda Todd’ and making up fake YouTube videos of Amanda Todd and drinking fake bleach and calling her names. Imagine that!!

Many people have been and still are affected from bullying. Children and teenagers are being made fun of and called names. People are being abused and are being bullied about their skin colours, backgrounds, religions, jobs, drugs, appearances, disease, physical and\or emotional conditions, weight, height, past, future and many more.

Over 2 million children in Canada alone have joined social networking. More than half of them could be bullied online and aren’t telling anyone. Yahoo, YouTube, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Snapchat, KIK, Tumblr, Messages, Pintrest and Google are all sorts of networking. My new rule is “Don’t Post Something Online That You Wouldn’t Share with Your Parents” (u can quote me on that).

  • CYBER BULLYING- ONLINE
  • PHYSICAL BULLYING- VIOLENCE\ PHYSICAL
  • VERBAL BULLYING- WORDS

Don’t be a bystander and watch someone getting bullied without telling someone or stepping in. Let’s stand up to bully! Bully be gone and forgotten.

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”

So think 3 times before posting, doing, or saying something.

Don’t Bully. Bullies only bully to make the victim feel lower than the bully.

STOP, THINK, ACT!

Asante Sana

Venessa Wambura