The best solution to bullying is speaking out about it.
This is the message from Chauncey’s Epic Bullying Club, which aims to make learners aware of the consequences of bullying.
Beverley and Llewellyn Davids, their daughter Beyoncé and author Sandhir Kumar Sewmungar of the anti-bullying campaign visited schools in Gansbaai yesterday to create awareness around the subject as part of Child Protection Week run by Gansbaai SAPS and Gansbaai Community Policing Forum.
While Beverley spoke to learners about the fatal effects bullying had on her son Chauncey, 25-year-old Sandhir also shared his story of pain.
T he club is named in honour of 14-year-old Chauncey who died in 2014 when a scientific experiment he tried at home led to a fire.
Sandhir, who wrote a book titled The Unknown Journey, told learners of Masakhane Primary School how he broke his hand once while trying to defend himself against bullies.
Sandhir says: “It made me angry and aggressive and in the end people thought I was the bad one. Victims take knives and guns to school to attack their bullies while others commit suicide, but we are finding a solution to this.”
Beverley said although her son didn’t die as a direct result of bullying, he was being bullied at school.
Tell-tale signs of bullying included a change in personality, children refusing to go to school or complaints of headaches and stomach ache.
For more information about the campaign, contact Beverley on 073 557 8849.