Allem Halkic: Bullying and Suicide

Thanks to the Wyndham Leader for the photo:
http://wyndham-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/teen-death-leaves-void/

There's nothing sadder than this, kids killing themselves. We've talked about Phoebe Prince, who suffered from depression years before she hung herself when she couldn't take the bullying at South Hadley High School. For months peers had called her names-- whore, slut. Those kinds of names.

Now the young man who stalked Allem Halkic (17 at his death by suicide on Feb 5, 2009), Shane Phillip Gerada, 21 has been convicted for bullying via text. According to the Hobson Bay Leader:

The court heard Allem took his life on the West Gate Bridge after receiving the texts, which included threats from Gerada including “I’ll put you in hospital” and “Don’t be surprised if you get hit soon”.

Magistrate Peter Reardon told the court Gerada’s criminal activity did not cause Allem’s death, but it demonstrated the impact threats could have on their victim.

It's probably safe to say that some kids have problems that attract the attention of aggressive kids, kids who act out their problems violently, displace aggression, we say. Victims are targeted as vulnerable. But a kid doesn't need to be depressed first, doesn't need to be vulnerable, to be bullied. Sometimes you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time, strike the wrong chord in the wrong people. And those people can make your life miserable.

What we see, as the research piles up, is that bullying has a devastating effect upon self-esteem, and victims can be very lonely, very despondent. Friends, peers, at any age, are important, but all the more-so in adolescence. Thus the scape-goats are truly at risk.

The Halkics, Allems parents, want to sue the State Government (this crime was in Australia) and VicRoads over claims that they failed to prevent deaths at the West Gate Bridge. You see, Allem's suicide followed a story about a father throwing his 4-year old daughter from the bridge. Allem supposedly asked his father after news broke about the child's murder at the hands of her father,

'Dad was it that easy?'

Then a week later, he took his own life, jumping from the bridge after being bullied on a social networking website.

You could say that kids need more education about bullying and mental health. No?

Linda Freedman