Quaden Bayles And The Serious Effect Of Bullying: “I Want To Die”

Quaden Bayles is only nine years old and few faces show the trace of suffering in such a way. In the expression of this Australian child whose mother has just picked up from school, the exhaustion of someone who can’t take it beats. The tears, his gestures and what is worse, his words, reveal something that no person (and less someone so young) should ever feel: the desire to die.

We could say that Quaden suffers from achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism that affects 1 in 2,5000 people. Also, that he belongs to a family of indigenous people. However, neither genetic disorders nor someone’s social or ethnic origin is a reason or reason to suffer bullying . Nothing, absolutely nothing justifies this type of violence that spreads like a virus, which reveals the most atrocious side of the human being, the one that manifests itself almost every day in schools around the world.

However, little Quaden’s condition seems to be justification enough for his classmates to relentlessly denigrate him in the face of the subtle indifference of parents and teachers. His mother, Yarraka Bayles, exhausted and already trapped in that limit where despair, anger and defenselessness are combined, decided to turn to mobile and give testimony.

The video of just three minutes that he decided to share with everyone, is more than the testimony of a child who will hardly erase from his mind the trauma that is breaking his childhood to pieces. These images are a cry for awareness and above all for reflection.

How and for what reason do these kinds of things happen?

Quaden Bayles, the boy who dreams of being a rugby player

Quaden Bayles has a dream: to become a rugby player for his favorite team, the South Sidney Rabbitohs. His, indeed, could be the story of any boy his age, of any child who goes to class, who plays with his friends and trains after class. However, this little boy suffers from a disability and has a problem even more serious than achondroplasia itself: Quaden wants to die .

In fact, as explained by the mother herself, Yarraka Bayles, the first time her son tried to kill himself he was 6 years old. The day he made the decision to record his son returning from school and share it on social networks, he had just witnessed one more attack on Quaden. A group of girls had just thrown him to the ground and were hitting the boy’s head as if he were – in the mother’s own words – a dog.

What happened after the publication of that video, we already know. It became viral, has millions of views and has moved half the world. Quaden’s expression takes our breath away and it’s hard not to feel the same helplessness as the mother herself.

The exciting response to Quaden Bayles: We’re here to support you, buddy

The first to show support for the little Australian was the very rugby team that Quaden Bayles admires. Mark Hamill, the actor who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars , did not hesitate to launch a heartfelt reflection that also ended up going viral: “cruelty is surprising and breaks your heart.” 

Perhaps the most moving show of support was that of Hugh Jackman, who, in addition to encouraging the little boy, did not hesitate to leave a small reflection to his followers:

The video was published last Tuesday, February 18. Today it has more than 7 million views and more than $400,000 raised. The objective? Fulfill another of Quaden Bayles’ dreams: go to Disneyland. The collection is organized by comedian Brad Williams and the rest of the money will go to charities to help children who suffer the effects of bullying .

A passive society in the face of intolerable acts

We would love to think that the impact of this video will change the reality of bullying. We would also love to imagine that life in Quaden Bayles is going to be easier. Nothing would please us more than if he could return to his school without feeling afraid, having the opportunity to make friends, to enjoy a happy childhood where we never hear the sound of insults, the pain of blows on the floor of the courtyards.

However, it is very likely that the changes will not be so great despite the viralization of this video. What’s more, something that is happening in the last few hours is that there are those who are questioning the veracity of Quaden Bayles. There are those who are contaminating the image of the child through fake news, suggesting in this a fraudulent montage and that the little one, in reality, would be 18 years old.

However, Quaden’s mother already appeared on an Australian television show in 2015 talking about her son’s condition. The boy is, indeed, 9 years old, his story is true and the suffering shown in the video is as real, stark and cruel as those who doubt this family.

The bullying will remain to our regret this scourge that hurts lives, childhoods and families. This reality is the clear effect of a passive society, of an education that often shows clear deficits and a lack of empathy. We need changes, greater awareness and strategies such as the KiVa method to solve and prevent these types of situations.

For now, we wish little Quaden Bayles all the best.