The Powerful Reason This Teen Is Willingly Sharing a Video of Herself Being Beaten by Bullies
When 16-year-old Mia DeJesus saw a video on social media of herself being viciously attacked by four of her female classmates in a school bathroom, she did the unexpected: she reposted it to her own Facebook account.
Though the teen said that she was initially embarrassed because people were sharing the horrifying video and laughing at it, she decided that posting the footage herself would show the bullies that she's not a victim. Her mother, Melinda, agreed with the bold statement she chose to make and said to ABC7 News of her daughter's attackers: "Let's show what cowards that they are. They're not Instagram famous. Now they're famous for being cowards."
The video — which has been shared to many different Facebook accounts and has been viewed millions of times — features a voice-over by Mia describing the attack on Jan. 27.
"I was locked in my school bathroom by four girls and beaten until I lost consciousness . . . I was tortured physically and emotionally and media-wise. One girl was arrested for aggravated assault charges and held for only 10 hours. The other three girls continue to attend school with no repercussions for lack of evidence. My school has a clear video of all four girls following me into the bathroom before the attack and says it's not enough to expel them. My question is, what about my testimony and why isn't bullying a criminal act? I refuse to be held hostage by this video and my fear."
Watch the video to hear Mia's powerful words about bullying and how she's spreading awareness.