Hi, my name is Cynthia! im from England and im 15 years old and this is my tragic tale.

It all started when i was 12 years old, the start of high school (year 7). Iv always felt like the odd one out in my school because i was the only black girl in my class. i always found it hard fitting in because everyone was so different and they always treated me badly. they would always judge me for what i wear, when ever i would wear a skirt to school they would always call me names like ‘slut, whore, slag, sket etc.’. At first i ignored it but the more i ignored it, the worse it got. My ‘best friend’ turned against me and i was all alone amd I never realy had any close friends because i didnt know who to trust.

But it does’nt end there………

In year 8 things got alot worse and the racial abuse started. They would call me mean words and would always make fun of my braids calling me ‘bob marley’ (referring them to dred locks). They really ruined my confidence, making me feel small and useless. They would always make fun of my family, religion and country im from. My parents were really supportive and had talked to the school but they did NOTHING. I felt desperate and suicidal and i was completly losing my mind! i ended up cutting myself, over time the cuts got bigger, longer and deeper. i didnt tell my mum and she still doesnt know about it to this day. All my friends had completly dissapeared and i turned to teachers for suppirt but they didnt do anything to try and solve my problems and they left me to deal with it on my own.

The abuse was both mentaly and racialy and made me turn against myself and feel ashamed of being myself. Rumours went around saying that i was a lesbian and that i was having an affair with a male teacher, this made things a thousand times worse than it already was. i would come home crying everyday and i didnt know what to do and no matter what my parent did it just wouldnt stop!!!

It got to a point where i got into a huge fight with a girl (my ex best friend i mentioned). She was calling my dad names and i got angry and started saying mean things about her mum to get her back. She got really angry and started beating me up, i felt hopeless and had bruises all over, she was alot stronger than me so i stood no chance against her. i was getting death threats from her everyday and i got really scared and didnt know what to do. I started having more suicidal thoughts everyday and began to self harm again, but still…nobody knew. I wanted to end my own life but i just could’nt put my family through hell and guilt. i started trying to stand up for myself more and things slowly got better.

I eventually moved to another school, i needed a fresh start where i could start all over again and rebuild my confiedence. Im happy in my new school and im alot stronger than i was before. I Believe in my dreams and i dont let people put me down.

Thank you soo much for reading my story! If your getting bullied you just have to remember that there’s always a light at the end of a deep, dark tunnel. Dont let people put you down STAY STRONG, BELIEVE, NEVER SAY NEVER because people care

- Cynthia