A young Australian girl has spoken out about the relentless bullying that made her feel her only option was to take her own life.
Twelve-year-old Tayla's story is part of a special investigation on SBS news show The Feed looking at how widespread the problem is and how difficult it is for authorities to prevent it.
The girl's family was eventually forced to leave their Queensland home after repeated attempts to seek help from Tayla's school.
She told reporter Patrick Abboud kids called her a freak and other abusive names and even urged her to drown herself.
"I wanted to die," she told The Feed. "I wanted to leave this world and never come back."
After a suicide attempt, the family made a fresh start in Cairns, where Tayla is now receiving the help she needs.
Mother Kali showed the programme a series of tortured drawings the girl had made and said she believes she would have died had the family stayed.
"No mum wants to see their kids drawing these things," she said.
Victoria is the only state in Australia with legislation criminalising bullying. Mr Abboud says the law has acted as a deterrent.
"I'm not saying let's lock the kids up, but like any crime there is a scale of punishment," he told News.com.au.
"Tayla's in a good place now. Her story is heartbreaking. She's such a brave kid."
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline's 24-hour telephone counselling service on 0800 543 354.
Newshub.
