The mum of a Scottish schoolgirl has said her daughter was beaten up on a school bus and filmed.
Kaylynn Donald, 12, is receiving therapy for an alleged beating which took place during a journey on her way home from class at Bell Baxter High School in Ladybank, Fife, on October 25.
Her mum has now warned against a spate of horrific attacks among youths in Scotland.
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Shocking footage shared with our sister title the Daily Record shows the pupil being set upon by two other girls, suffering multiple blows to her head and body while other children filmed the violence on their phones. Police Scotland have since confirmed a 13-year-old girl was reported to the local youth offender manager group in connection with the incident.
Kaylynn was left with a bloodshot eye, a scratch to her eyeball, bruises on her face and had clumps of hair pulled out.
Kaylynn's mum, Vicky, says her daughter had been on the receiving end of horrific taunts - including name-calling and fat shaming - for weeks prior to the alleged assault. Vicky, 36, is speaking out against the violence after the Record reported a series of horrific attacks among teenagers in recent months.
She told the Record: "It's horrific, the level of violence is something I have not seen before. Something needs to be done about it, whatever stance there currently is against bullying is clearly not working - it's not just happening in Fife, it's obviously happening across the whole of Scotland.
"The name-calling and fat shaming got to a point where Kaylynn snapped and said something awful to one of the other girls - which I completely condemn and do not condone - but it does not warrant this violence. What Kaylynn said was not acceptable and I will never defend it, we punished her for it, but it came after weeks of being fat shamed."
While her injuries have healed, her mum fears the verbal abuse will have a long-lasting psychological impact on her daughter. Kaylynn's counselling is focused on restoring a healthy relationship with her body and food, as her mum says she has been skipping meals.
Vicky said: "I have Kaylynn in counselling to try and get her to deal with the assault, but also to get how she thinks about herself under control.
"We're finding food stashed in her bedroom and we know she is trying to skip meals in school. I am 36 now and I still remember the name-calling I received from lassies in school.
"I will not wear certain clothes purely because I still see myself the way they saw me, I don't want my daughter to ever go through the same thing."
Kaylynn is sharing her story in an attempt to urge other children to speak out against bullying and to let culprits know that it is no longer acceptable. She now wants to see more support available to victims. Vicky said: "Kaylynn wants others to know that it is not alright to be bullied and she wants politicians to change things.
"Specifically, she wants more help for people who are being bullied and she wants the problem to just stop. How anybody thinks it is okay to do this, is beyond me."
It comes after the Record reported on a concerning series of assaults among teenagers in recent months. On Monday, the uncle of a 13-year-old boy in Fort William warned that a child may die before the issue is stamped out.
His nephew was lured into a field in the Highland town and pounced on by two other young males as the attack was filmed by a group of others standing by. Only a couple of weeks prior, we told how a teenage girl required brain scans after she was attacked by a gang of youths in the same town.And in October, the Record also reported on the savage beating of an autistic schoolgirl in Glasgow. Abbie Jarvis, then 12, was kicked and punched unconscious in an attack that left her hospitalised for two days.
She still hasn't been able to return to school. The Daily Record approached Police Scotland and Fife Council for comment.
Head of Fife Council Education and Children's Services Maria Lloyd commented: "Social media can be the reason that many of these issues escalate, and we work with our young people on how to use social media responsibly and understand the impact it can have when it’s not.
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“I would like to reassure parents and carers across Fife that we will continue to work with all our school communities to make sure our young people have a positive experience at school and that any incidents of bullying will be dealt with quickly and appropriately."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Bullying of any kind is never acceptable and anyone experiencing such behaviour deserves to be supported. Scottish Government guidance is in place to ensure a consistent approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools.
"This includes ensuring that appropriate support is put in place for all children and young people involved in a bullying incident. We expect all schools and local authorities to be using this approach.”
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