Thousands of people around the world have voiced their support for 9-year-old Quaden Bayles, who has been relentlessly bullied by classmates at his school.
As a young boy whose features look different due to dwarfism, Quaden has suffered an onslaught of criticism from cruel peers for years.
The 9-year-old’s mom Yarraka posted a video of her son on Facebook after a bullying episode that left him wanting to kill himself.
The heartbreaking footage has since gone viral, accumulating over 3 million views.
Quaden, who has the most common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, told his mom: “Give me a rope, I want to kill myself.”
In the harrowing video, the distraught boy can also be heard saying, “I just want to stab myself in the heart… I want someone to kill me.”
“This is the effect bullying has. This is what bullying does,” Yarraka states in the confronting video, while also pleading that people educate themselves.
“Can you please educate your children, your families, your friends?” she begs. “I seriously don’t know what else to do.”
Quaden is certainly no stranger to adversity.
Not only has he undergone multiple operations associated with his achondroplasia dwarfism, but he also hails from an Indigenous family in Brisbane, which comes with its own set of challenges.
Since the video was posted, Quaden has been flooded with encouraging messages from kind strangers.
“Just know you should never be ashamed of your differences,” said 13-year-old Sian Williams, the founder of Kidzucate Take-A-Stand Against Bullying and Violence. “I just want you to know that you’re an amazing person and beautiful, inside and out.”
Indigenous rights campaigner and former politician Lidia Thorpe called Quaden an “amazing warrior.”
“Little brother Quaden, know we’re all here for you,” added Internet personality Carly Wallace. “You are so special to our entire Aboriginal community in Brisbane and beyond.”
