A trip to the toilet turned out to be a harrowing experience for an ITE College Central student.
As he stepped away from the urinal, the teen found himself surrounded by a group of schoolmates.
One of them stopped him from leaving and asked “What’s wrong with you?” as he pulled the student’s mask off his face.
“Why did you take out your d*** and pee?”, the bully questioned while slapping the victim several times in the face.
Image source: iStock
He also forced him to say “Sorry, boss” before letting him go with a kick to the boy’s legs. The group then laughed at the victim who made a hasty exit.
The incident was recorded by one of those present at the scene, and later reposted on Instagram on Mar 12, sparking concern online.
Suresh Natarajan, principal of ITE College Central, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Mar 16) that the students in the clip have been identified and one of them has been suspended.
“As an educational institution, we strive to provide all our students with a safe, caring and supportive environment. We take a serious view of bullying and take a firm stance against such behaviour.”
The school has also extended support to the victim and his family, Natarajan said.
Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Ministry of Education & Ministry of Social and Family Development, added that ITE’s College Disciplinary Committee is investigating the incident and will recommend appropriate action.
“Might is not right. It is morally reprehensible to bully someone. Even more so, if you pick on a person or child who is in a vulnerable position and unable to defend himself or herself,” she said.
Warning Signs Of Bullying In Singapore Schools
While we can’t have our eyes set on our kids at every single moment of their life, we can still ensure their safety by checking up on them every now and then. This helps us check if anything has been bothering them in school. There are several warning signs of bullying in Singapore schools and these include the following:
Image source: iStock
1. Not wanting to go to school. If your child is suddenly reluctant to go attend their classes, especially if they would normally be happy to learn new things at school, this could be a big sign that they’re avoiding something. It’s possible that they’re afraid to attend school due to a bully and may even attempt to skip school.
2. They start to lose their personal belongings or they end up broken. Anyone can misplace their things and lose them. But if you find that your child consistently keeps losing their possessions such as their wallet or pencil case without a reasonable excuse, this may be a red flag of bullying.
3. Detecting unusual behaviour from your child. If they are being bullied in school, you might find your child acting differently than before and find them having random emotional outbursts.
4. Be on the lookout for self-harm. In worst-case scenarios, your child might be subjected to hurting themselves due to the anxiety and frustration they’re feeling from being bullied. It’s important that you approach them about it immediately and try to ask them how you can help to assure them that you are there for them.
5. Finding other strange cuts and bruises. Finding random physical ailments on your child may also be a warning sign, especially if they don’t appear to have come from normal physical activities.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image source from Instagram / SG.Trendzzz.
With reports from Dew M. Chaiyanara.
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