The mother of a 17-year-old who was “horrendously” bullied to the point of suicide has called for much-needed change, saying the family is simply “heartbroken” over the loss.
Bailey Cooper, whose family lives in a small town about 350km north of Perth, died on Sunday after being bullied for seven years.
Mother Keira Skeet told news.com.au Bailey suffered from mental health issues as a result of the relentless bullying and starting being sent home from school in the lead up to her death.
“It was just about getting her out of the environment. Kids are supposed to feel safe at school,” Ms Skeet said.
Horrifically, Ms Skeet said the bullying online still hasn’t stopped even since Bailey’s death on Sunday.
“We tried so hard for so many years. Kids are just cruel, they just don’t understand that what they’re saying hurts people” she said.
“The mental health system is a joke too. We’ve been in and out of public psychologists and counsellors and every time she got let down.”
Ms Skeet said she hoped Bailey’s bullies would attend her memorial service to see the impact of their taunting.
“They need to understand the consequences of their words and actions,” she said.
The hashtag #forever17 has been used to commemorate Bailey’s life.
“I’ll never forget how beautiful your heart was. I’m so sorry Bailey. Please never forget the people that love you. We will miss you always,” a friend of Bailey’s wrote on social media.
A GoFundMe has also been set up to raise money for Bailey’s funeral.
“Who knew a wooden box and a celebration of remembering her unique, beautiful broken soul would cost so much,” her mother wrote on the GoFundMe page.
It has since reached almost $12,000.
Bailey’s death comes just days after it was revealed a 10-year-old Indigenous boy took his own life while in state care last week.
The boy, who was living in foster care with relatives and cannot be identified for legal reasons, died in Perth last Friday.
He was one of six children, the four youngest of whom had been removed by the WA Department of Communities in late 2020 after child protection were concerned the parents may have been struggling with substance abuse issues.
Reports that he had taken his own life sparked renewed debate over the contentious issue of child removals and disturbingly high rate of suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
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