A 13-year-old Glasgow girl has been recognised for her bravery after she was viciously attacked.
Abbie Jarvis was announced as the Unsung Hero award winner for her fight against youth violence after she was brutally beaten and left seriously injured. The schoolgirl was lured to a Drumchapel skatepark and set upon by another girl as others filmed the incident on their phones, in October last year.
‘Abbie’s petition’, launched by the schoolgirl and her mum, Angela, aims to see bullying interventions put in place in schools, social care facilities and on the streets to prevent violent acts.
The mother-of-three was left beaming with pride as she watched her daughter walk up to the stage to accept the award as her favourite song, 'Unstoppable' by Sia, played.
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Angela told Glasgow Live: "It's amazing that after everything she has been through she wants to make a difference and a positive change.
"She was very shocked and very elated when her name was called. She never expected to win .
"It really was an amazing moment."
The recognition has motivated the pair to continue pushing forward with their fantastic work in ensuring what happened to Abbie doesn't happen to another school child.
The loving mother is always looking for various ways to make schools safer and help her daughter cope with the trauma she still relives.
She said "We want to change the 'go soft' policy, meaning that the victims aren't prisoners anymore.
"It would allow them to get on with their lives.
"It would also mean that there are tougher consequences for those who carry out such violent attacks. The petition is going to Holyrood soon and we are continuing to push forward and link with other parents who have been through similar things.
"We are also keen to set up some sort of support network for those impacted by such incidents."
Angela spotted a bit of the old Abbie when her daughter's name was called.
But the pair are still taking each day at a time as the 13-year-old still hasn't returned to the classroom due to PTSD and the fear she has following the incident.
The mum said: "Some days are still very challenging because Abbie is still processing everything from day one.
"She still doesn't understand why it happened and feels like she is being punished.
"When she won the award I saw a wee bit of the old Abbie come back, strutting her stuff and being dead confident. But there is still so much she needs to get through yet.
"Abbie doesn't have a normal day and she is scared of leaving the home but seeing her think about her future shows that her spark is still there."
The schoolgirl was extremely delighted after she found out she won and hopes that she can carry on her good work alongside her mum.
Abbie told Young Scot: “It feels amazing to have been recognised for raising awareness for youth violence. I was attacked and it was really scary for me, I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that.”
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