HAVE YOU BEEN BULLIED? READERS TELL ALL...

Part two in our feature on how it feels to be the target of bullies... readers share how it really feels to be victimised...

Kittycat says:

I guess... who hasn't been bullied at some point? Most of the stuff didn't bother me. Call me 'goth'? Oh no, I am SO insulted you think I'm gorgeous enough to be a goth(!) What I didn't like was having people make fun of my voice, because it's quite low to pick on someone's disability. And I didn't like having rocks thrown at my head because my brain is one of my best features. The rest of it was nothing - it just made me feel all warm and fuzzy that they spent their time thinking about little old me. I feel a sense of satisfaction that I can look back at my schooldays and think, 'Yep, I was awesome,' rather than being like some of my classmates, staggering up to someone they used to bully, blind drunk at New Year and sobbing about how sorry they were whilst vowing to 'sort out' anyone else who might bully that person. That happened to me. I was quite scared, actually. I don't care for being hugged by highly inebriated people.

Stephanie says:

All through high school, I have been bullied. It started with simple insults like 'ginger weirdo' in year seven and now in year eleven it's horrible and homophobic. I came out as bisexual last summer, which took a lot of courage. I was nervous that my friends wouldn't accept me, but they were really supportive. Sadly, for the bullies, it just seemed to step things up a level. I can't repeat the things I've been called, they're too awful, but it was heartbreaking to feel I was being made an outcast just because I was different. I struggled on alone to begin with, but I found a light at the ned of the tunnel - a teacher who was willing to support me and help me find ways of calming down and ignoring nasty comments. My message to anyone being bullied is to speak out - and ignore the bullies. They do it mainly for attention, so don't react - don't give them what they want. And if that doesn't help, get support from a trusted teacher... don't suffer in silence.

Caoimhe says:

I was bullied in many different ways throughout primary school. I used to have tons of friends, but a new girl started and pushed me out of my group of friends. She wouldn't let me join any of the games they were playing, I was always excluded. Those girls remember being bffs with me, and we do still talk although I have other friends now. Later, another girl targeted me. She'd pick on me and my friends and tell me I was fat... I am very insecure about my body and she made me worse. Then a boy in my class joined in, saying horrible things about me all the time. I was too shy to tell the teacher but I told my mum and she went to school and asked if I could be moved, explaining why. The teacher was really supportive and when the boy argued that it was all my fault the teacher made it clear that this really WASN'T the case. Everything changed then, people altered the way they treated me and the boy apologised, Bullying is tough, but with friends and family to back you up, you can get through it.

Lisa says:

I was bullied a little in primary, but things didn't get really bad until my third year of secondary school. A boy in one of my classes - let's call him Mark - began hurting me. He'd punch me in the stomach, say awful things, even threaten to put my mum in hospital. I began to have regular panic attacks before class and was scared to go to school. I called ChildLine and spoke to them about it all, too. Then one day Mark threatened to egg my house and break all the windows, and that was it - I asked to be excused from class and hid in the bathrooms, and while I was there my friend came along and I broke down and cried on her shoulder. My other friends got involved and I went to guidance, and although it was awful and painful things did start to improve. I was home schooled for a month, and when I went back Mark and I made our peace. He's almost like a big brother to me now, and sticks up for me. When you're being bullied it feels like the end of the world, but if you speak out things CAN get better.

Karina says:

I'd never imagined bullying could happen to me. I'd never encountered it... it just didn't seem possible. I had a best friend of eight years standing, we were so close... and them she got a boyfriend, and he was jealous of how close we were. One day he backed me into a corner when nobody was looking, and gave me a black eye and a cut on my arm. I was so shocked I couldn't tell anyone - I just went home and hid. I thought it was a one-off, but he began hitting me regularly and I didn't dare tell anyone, not even my friend. One day he went too far, shutting my foot in a door and and stamping on my wrist. I plucked up the courage and told my friend; she was horrified and about to break up with him, but he convinced her I was self-harming and delusional and asked her to choose between us. She chose him. From then on, she led the bullying, calling me awful names while the boy went on beating me up. I began suffering from depression and shut everyone out, friends, family, teachers... but thankfully my mum found out and the police got involved. I moved school and things are much better now but I still have scars and marks all over my body; they will fade, but the memories will be with me forever.

Keep checking back for PART THREE of our special ANTI-BULLYING feature, where readers share their tips and advice for how to cope with bullies... and remember to COMMENT BELOW if you have your own advice for the readers above, or want to offer your support.