Published 15:43 IST, February 22nd 2020
'Stay strong': Hollywood showers love on 9-year-old who was bullied at school
The internet has been rocked by the heartbreaking story of a nine-year-old victim of bullying including Hollywood stars and asked Quaden to 'stay strong'.
The video showing a nine-year-old boy asking his mother for a rope to kill himself has taken the internet by storm and fueled angered in millions against bullying and its impact. Many Hollywood stars including Hugh Jackman and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have come forward to show support to the child and claimed that he has a friend in them. The video, which now has been deleted, was posted by Yarraka Bayles showing her son, Quaden Bayles crying in agony and wanting to die. The video rocked the internet and was viewed by more than 18 million people. Soon after the clip was posted on various social media platforms, Hollywood rallied behind the little Quaden whose mother felt “helpless” in the face of constant bullying.
Many internet users have shown their support for the nine-year-old who had gone suicidal. However, Yarraka has now apparently deactivated her account with the escalating backlash over her shooting the video and other false accusations about Quaden not really being a nine-year-old. Some people have also started mounting criticism over the Bayles family who supposedly have more money but others have stood in support of the family as they talked about bullying “and nothing else”.
Hollywood supports Quaden
From celebrities to friends and families, netizens worldwide united to show support to the little boy and shared their thoughts with Hugh Jackman saying 'Quaden has a friend in him'. Yarraka, who said that she is “tired” of dealing with such issues “every single day”, wanted to generate awareness on the “impacts of bullying”. In nearly five minutes, the Brisbane resident further said that “this could be your kid”.
Victim of bullying
Quaden, a student at Brisbane State School was born with the most common form of Dwarfism, Achondroplasia. While talking to a local media outlet, Yarraka explained how Quaden did not want to go to school on February 19. However, since the principal called them to inform that Brisbane Bullets were coming at the campus, Quaden went and when Yarraka along with her daughter and granddaughter went to pick him, they noticed that one of his classmates was “patting him on the head and making references to his height”.
When Yarraka and Quaden exchanged signals if he was fine, the nine-year-old confessed that he wasn't. But he did not want his mother to make a scene. However, Yarraka reportedly could see that “he was very uncomfortable”. When the mother took her son to talk things off, that is when she started filming the reaction of the nine-year-old was asking for a rope to kill himself. Since the video was live-streamed on her Facebook account, a gigantic wave of support has surrounded her, and Quaden.
Most people wanted to let the Bayles know that they are with them and raised their voice against bullying. People who own different kinds of businesses have offered their help to make Quaden “feel better”. In the reaction to the same video, the NRL All Stars team decided to invite the little boy to lead them at Saturday night's match. In the invite, the boys expressed that they are behind Quaden and addressed the boy as “hero”.
Updated 15:43 IST, February 22nd 2020