Bullied teen 'not allowed to speak freely' about bullying incident at school

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A 15-year-old boy who was bullied has accused his school of not allowing him to speak freely about his experience, leaving him to transfer to another school.

The boy, who was bullied for two months at a boarding high school in Gyeongsang Province this year, had wanted to share his experience at a weekly school meeting, but was asked to submit his speech in advance for review and adhere to certain restrictions, the boy's family was quoted as saying in local media reports Wednesday.

Under the restrictions, the boy would not be allowed to reveal the names of the bullies and only speak in accordance with the School Violence Deliberation Committee guidelines. The weekly meetings are attended by teachers, students and parents to discuss school matters.

The boy, who had initially wanted to stay at the school, said, "because of all these restrictions, I could never say what I want to say at the meeting."

Four students were accused of subjecting him to physical and sexual abuse on a regular basis, including incidents where they urinated on his body and spat at him in the shower. Some of these allegations were denied by the accused students.

The education office convened the School Violence Deliberation Committee twice, resulting in the bullies being suspended from school.

Other restrictive measures against them include prohibiting them from committing an act of retaliation, mandatory participation in special courses, and being reassigned to different classes.

An official from the school had stated that they were unaware of the incidents because the victim and the bullies did not share the same room in a dormitory.

The victim and his family were reportedly undergoing psychological counseling and therapy.

The perpetrators are expected to return to school in the second semester.

By No Kyung-min(minmin@heraldcorp.com)