My friend’s 11-year-old came home from primary school recently in tears. She was being bullied by a small group of boys in her year, who had noticed she was entering puberty, and laughed and teased her about her changing shape and increasing weight.
Naturally, my friend was worried. Her bright, gifted and otherwise confident child had become withdrawn, was avoiding social occasions and was starting to prefer the company of her computer to her friends. It wasn’t like her, she said, as she had always been so sociable.
The boys had told the girl that she was unattractive and no-one would ever fancy her. They made suggestive gestures and used overtly sexual language. She was upset and felt uncomfortable and humiliated. Other girls in the class had been similarly teased.
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