USA: Suicide of a child rests the question of bullying

• Tweeter

• republish

A school bus in the United States. (Illustration picture) REUTERS / Mike Blake

A nine-year-old boy committed suicide in Denver, United States after being harassed at school. Jamel Myles reportedly told his classmates he was proud to be gay. Harassment at school is a phenomenon studied in the United States and is the subject of awareness campaigns.

Unfortunately, the case of Jamel Myles is not isolated. On Thursday, August 23rd, the 9-year-old student's suicide in Denver, Colorado, was added to that of several schoolchildren in recent years, raising American awareness of the phenomenon. The news item has largely been picked up by the media in the United States.

9-year-old Denver boy dies by suicide after being bullied at school https://t.co/Nb7jn8DCJC pic.twitter.com/FxYtl7e1kj

School harassment affects one in four students in the United States

Half of the victims are girls or boys who are more shy, more sensitive, and a little less comfortable in their skin. Their executioners are essentially children who are stronger and more aggressive than others, who impose their law on the rest of the class. They represent only 6% of the students and, for them, gays and lesbians (supposed or declared) are prime targets.

" My child died of harassment. My baby was killed, "said Leia Pierce, Jamel Myles' mother, at the Denver Post. She also said her son told him he was gay this summer. Before committing the irreparable, the young child would also have told his older sister that the other children had told him to commit suicide.

Anti-bullying prevention campaigns

School bullying is the subject of prevention campaigns in the United States, by the federal government and states, which have laws. Cyber-harassment and harassment of young LGBTQ (Gay Lesbian Bi Trans Queers) are particularly taken into account. Released in March 2017, a report by the American RTI International Research Institute looked back at the violence inflicted on LGBTQ since 1990, when it began to be measured in the United States.

He pointed out that " despite the fact that American society has become more open, " the violence against LGBTQ has not diminished. " The verbal and physical victimization of students during their studies is common, " he said. This violence " erodes the feeling of security at school, decreases attendance and academic success, and greatly increases the risk of suicide ."

Can a 9-year-old be aware of his or her sexual orientation? For a pediatrician contacted by RFI on the phone, " everything is possible, people say that, in retrospect, they knew this stuff ". " A child may have an early awareness of his homosexuality, but he expresses it within the limits of his language. I have never seen a child come out , explains the practitioner. For parents, you have to be careful about how you receive that. The question is not to throw in the trash, nor to take for cash, it is not necessary to lock up the child. Things must stay open. "

Adult responsibility

Adults have a huge responsibility elsewhere. It's up to them to set the boundaries and make the school a place where adult and child-related violence has no place, a place of tolerance where everyone feels safe. The cost of harassment is considerable, and victims sometimes rebel.

Rest in Peace #JamelMyles 💓 Hate is nothing to your courage and pride 🏳️🌈💖

On social networks, photos and tributes to the boy have multiplied, far beyond the US borders.