Editorial: Time to see consequences of vile actions
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THE father of a teenage girl who had her picture posted on “Bendigo’s biggest sluts” Facebook page has called for greater education on the consequences of social media smears.
Mick, who asked for his surname not to be used, said the harrassment his daughter experienced from the page had created a “huge amount of trauma”.
He said he was worried for her wellbeing and feared she was contemplating suicide.
“I know what my daughter has gone through,” he said.
“It’s had a huge impact on her, this sort of shit could put anyone over the edge.”
“To imagine what other parents are going through... it makes me want to cry.” Mick said a number of explicit photos of underage girls had been posted on the page.
He said the creator of the page had sent a written apology to his daughter after closing down the site.
“He did make an apology on there and for everyone else whose photos were used.
“It’s a stuff up in life that he’s made. I don’t know how other families are feeling, but I don’t want someone’s life ruined by one mistake, as long as he knows what sort of grief he’s caused.”
Mick said the danger of social media sites was that despite the warnings and legal implications, there was nothing that could stop similar pages cropping up again.
“In all honesty I don’t think there’s anything you can do to prevent it,” he said. “It’s always going to happen. We just need more education on the issue.
“I’ve got six children and a grandson.
“I’ve tried to embed into them that bullying – physically, verbally, mentally and on cyberspace – is just not on.”
Mick said he was grateful for police involvement after a number of people had planned to seek physical revenge against the page’s creator.
A police investigation is ongoing.
People seeking support and information about suicide can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.