'Never back down from a bully' - Herald readers react

Bullying victim Casey Heynes (above) grabs his attacker and flings him over his shoulder and onto the ground. Photo / Supplied

The mother of a 15-year-old girl brutally beaten up by another Wanganui Girls' College student says parents, schools and the Government should do more to stop bullying.

The appeal comes after a video clip of her daughter getting punched, kicked and stomped on the way home from school was distributed between students.

The attacker has appeared in the Youth Court.

The footage comes soon after Casey Heynes, 16, gained prominence for fighting back against a bully at a western Sydney school last week.

Views of Herald online readers are split on whether victims should stand up to the bullies and fight back or whether it is the role of the school and authorities to protect children from physical and emotional abuse from other students at school.

In an online poll asking "What is the best way for a victim to handle a school bully?", 55 per cent responded "Hit the bully back" while 44 per cent answered "Tell their parents or teacher". One per cent said "Do nothing and hope it stops".

Many told the Herald the only way to deal with bullies is to give them a taste of their own medicine.

"Never back down from a bully," Grey wrote. "Even in adult world, backing down from a bully will result in you being bullied even more. "Bullies rely on the fact that their victims will never retaliate and are too ashamed to rat out and admit their own weakness."

"It's time bullies get what they deserved," wrote Concerned Kiwi, of Auckland, adding it was a "great injustice" Casey was suspended as well as the bully.

"By doing this, we are encouraging a generation of wimps who are discouraged from retaliation and hence protecting themselves."

Rodney from Howick was to the point.

"I think that bullies should get a good hard smacking."

4peace of Manukau City shared that view.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child. These bullies are nothing but spoilt brats who need a good old caning. Our laws are too weak to have any affect."

Others felt it was up to the schools to make sure children are safe.

"School is liable and there should be a law allowing school to be sued if it did not record complaint and remedy of each bullying case," Nick of Mt Roskill wrote.

"Bullying is a primal response exacted on those who look or are different from the 'norm'," Boy from Dundee said. "It is the duty of school principal to develop an ethos of (and educate students about) respecting people's differences. It is the job of principals and teachers to 'pick up' on bullying."

McHaggis, of Hibiscus Coast, said confronting bullies was easier said than done.

"More often than not, the school bully will make sure they have support of their bully friends, before intimidating a single victim! They always have to have backup, just in case!

"This being the case, it would be very difficult for a lone child to take on a bully and their bully mates. To do so could have serious consequences for the victim."

Jonman believed schools have an interest in not acting against bullies.

"Schools are pulled in two directions: the Ministry and ERO keep strict running tallies of how many stand-downs and expulsions every school issues, and the more they issue the worse the school's performance is rated by Ministry and ERO. Keeping a clean sheet looks really good. So they have a vested interest in applying the softly-softly approach."

Lovelylocks, of Papakura, dismissed that view.

"I am on a board of a school and we have a zero tolerance and jump on anything. We suspended a child last year for hitting another child. We just had an ERO visit this year and have come out with flying colours. I didn't see any evidence of ERO marking this suspension against us. In my opinion it shows our school is taking the health and safety of our students seriously."