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Warning: This story contains distressing content.
A Sydney family has been left heartbroken and shattered after their 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte, took her own life, with her parents saying relentless bullying was to blame.
Charlotte, a Year 7 student at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, tragically died by suicide earlier this month. Her grieving parents spoke with Ben Fordham on 2GB, sharing their pain and demanding answers to prevent another young life from being lost to bullying.
Hi Ben, earlier this week our family experienced a day that will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
We lost our baby girl in the most awful of circumstances. She was just 12 years old.
No words can ever describe what its like for us and it will never be the same again.
Charlotte has left such a big hole in our lives, and she’s so deeply, deeply missed.
The reports you have received are correct. My daughter was bullied by girls that still attend the school today.
She wrote a goodbye note specifically mentioning the bullying she received at the school.
She said life was too difficult for her to continue.
When the most recent case of bullying was raised, the school simply said it was investigated and the girls denied it. That’s it. Case closed. Move on.
Well my beautiful daughter’s life won’t move on and I’ll never get to say goodbye.
These issues cannot be swept under the carpet. I will not let my daughter’s memory be swept under the carpet either.
How many more children need to lose their lives before they get it? How many parents need to feel the pain of never being able to pick up their child from school again before they get it?
We’re broken forever.”
Charlotte’s parents revealed she had been the target of ongoing bullying, which had been brought to the school’s attention. “My daughter was bullied by girls who still attend the school. In her goodbye note, she specifically mentioned the bullying she endured,” they shared.
The family had told him for two years they had complained about Charlotte being bullied at Santa Sabina College.
The family said on ‘one particular day the school called mum to arrange for Charlotte to be picked up because Charlotte had been crying in the toilets’.
‘She told the girl who found her “I don’t want to be here”. She told her mum “My body fills with pain until my heart explodes”, Fordham said.
However, they claim the school’s investigation dismissed the accusations after the bullies denied them. “That was it—case closed.
But my daughter’s life won’t move on. I will never get to say goodbye. Her memory can’t just be swept under the rug.”
Despite receiving counselling, therapy, and medication to help her cope with declining mental health, Charlotte’s parents feel she was let down by her school and the system.
“How many more children need to lose their lives before schools start taking this seriously? How many parents need to feel the pain of never picking their child up from school again?”
Listen to the Segment with Ben Fordham below.
Self Harm and Suicide a Major Problem” for Young People
NSW Premier Chris Minns addressed the allegations of death and bullying by saying he “can’t imagine what those parents are going through right now”, adding he was “deeply sorry”.
“My heart just goes out to that family … there could honestly be nothing worse than facing that,” Minns told reporters.
“They’ve got a difficult period in front of them … and I hope that they are able to heal.
“I am sure that they want answers, and I can completely understand that.”
Minns said self-harm and suicide were a “major problem” for young people in NSW.
“We had made major inroads as a result of a huge public awareness campaigns … right across the country, but since 2010 it has increased again, the prevalence of it is back up around where it was in the 2000s,” he said.
“Every life lost was one that was preventable … and a life that has been snuffed out with the future in front of them and a world at their feet.”
Tragic circumstances
A friend of Charlotte’s, who had connected with her online, also shared her anguish. The young girl’s father called into Fordham to give Charlotte a “voice.”
“Charlotte felt people had taken private information and used it against her. It pushed her to the brink. We can’t sit back and let this continue.”
While the pain and anger are overwhelming, Charlotte’s mother, Kelly, has urged the public not to place blame on the students involved. “I beg you, please don’t make those little girls feel responsible. Charlotte made a mistake in a moment of deep grief. She didn’t mean to do this—she didn’t truly understand.”
The school’s principal, Paulina Skerman, has responded, saying the bullying allegations are being taken seriously. She also warned against harmful speculation. “Claims of bullying are serious and are being investigated. We are committed to the safety of all students and ask anyone with firsthand information to report it through proper channels.”
Don’t Downplay the Situation
A leading international expert has condemned a school’s messaging over the suicide of a 12-year-old student in the same area.
Presbyterian Ladies College, located just a few suburbs from Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, informed Year 7 parents that social connections between the two schools were inevitable, but they did not plan to address the students directly at this time. They also advised parents to not speak about the tragedy to their daughters unless they ‘raised it with you’ first.
Professor Hickie, co-director of health and policy at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, stressed the importance of acknowledging what happened rather than ignoring or downplaying it.
“Parents, schools, and teachers need to engage in the conversation and stay connected with those directly affected,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“While it’s important to focus on the positive aspects of life, simply glossing over the issue isn’t helpful.”
Santa Sabina has been offering counselling this week to students, parents and the broader community.
This heartbreaking tragedy is a painful reminder of the need for stronger action to protect our children from bullying. No family should have to endure this unimaginable loss.
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