Nicola Ann Raphael
Encyclopedia
Nicola Ann Raphael was a 15 year old Scottish
schoolgirl who committed suicide after enduring years of bullying because she dressed in a Goth style. Her death on June 24, 2001 and allegations of bullying at her school, Lenzie Academy
, led to wide coverage in the local and national press. Later commentary has said that "in many ways the suicide could be read as a grim warning of the strength of hatred that was to lead to Sophie Lancaster’s death".
The case is also notable in that was featured some early coverage in the media of the issue of bullying by text message/mobile phones.
The case was also one of those cited by the Daily Record
in the setting up of their "Save our Kids Campaign" as seen here.
The issue was also raised in the Scottish Parliament
by Lyndsay McIntosh
MSP
: "The minister mentioned children in his opening remarks, so I will channel his thoughts towards youngsters' being bullied. We should think about 16-year-old Nicola Raphael or 12-year-old Emma, who attended Broughton High School, both of whom committed suicide as a result of being bullied at school. I can think of nothing more crucial to the quality of life of our youngsters than that."
and Kirkintilloch
and attended the local state schools Millersneuk Primary and Lenzie Academy
.
was seen comforting Nicola's mother: "Performing in Glasgow last weekend, Manson dedicated the song Fight On to Nicola Raphael, 15, who overdosed on painkillers two months ago and was buried along with her ticket to the Manson show. After the concert, Manson met the girl's mother. He was very caring and considerate, Rona Raphael told Scotland's Daily Record newspaper. I was so touched that this megastar took time out to meet me. Despite all the controversy about him and his shows, he just seemed like a normal man to me...."
In June 2003 the story was also featured on Tonight with Trevor McDonald: GIRLS AFRAID "A report on the dramatic increase in bullying by girls. "
The program interviewed both bullies and their victims and tried to look at various sides of the story. Nicola's mother spoke of what her daughter had gone through as well as whether she thought bullies would ever comprehend the possible consequences of how they acted.
The case was also cited as the reason for a Scotland wide spate of legal actions against education authorities due to bullying.
"Mr Fyfe believes the recent spate of law suits may have been triggered by the highly publicised suicide of Lenzie Academy pupil Nicola Raphael, who killed herself after being victimised by fellow pupils for her taste in "Goth" music and clothes. Her mother, Rona, is suing East Dunbartonshire Council, claiming that school staff failed to protect her daughter from bullies despite repeated complaints."
Nicolas mother believed those who bullied her daughter were continuing their attacks even after the suicide.The annivery of the death was a particular focus for the activity and Strathclyde police investigated thefts and vandalism at Nicola's grave.
and in particular Brian Fitzpatrick
took an interest in the case and joined in the calls for reviews of anti-bullying policies at the school and in East Dunbartonshire as a whole.
"MSP Brian Fitzpatrick has welcomed the decision to review the anti-bullying policy at Lenzie Academy, after the tragic death of teenager Nicola Raphael in June."
"Following a meeting with Lenzie Academy rector Roddy McLelland, Mr Fitzpatrick also welcomed the plans to improve the existing mentoring arrangements."
"He said: It is vital that a consistency of approach should be adopted. I will be pressing East Dunbartonshire Council to ensure that there are clearly delineated responsibilities across the authority for co-ordinating anti-bullying policy.
John Simmons, head of education at East Dunbartonshire Council, said: The council made a commitment last month to conduct an authority-wide review of the systems in place in all schools to deal with allegations of bullying. "
(NHS) organ donation campaigns and were later featured in a 2005 BBC
TV documentary on organ donation entitled Life on the List where they met a young boy named Jack who was one of the recipients. The Life on the list documentary was broadcast widely and won a Peabody award that year (2005)
Although Nicola had carried a donor card for several years hospital staff did not ask the family about donation. Instead Nicola's mother had to approach staff herself to make sure her daughters wishes were carried out.
"Last month, Ashley took a further stand against bullying when she went online to offer advice and help to other victims of playground torment.
She set up a website and email address and invited bullied children too afraid to tell an adult to write in with their experiences.
She has been inundated with messages and now intends to compile figures from the emails to launch an anti-bullying campaign in a bid to force the Scottish Parliament and her local authority to take action.
She says: "I was amazed at how many people wrote to me with their stories - and just how many people are being bullied."
Tim Field
was among those who became involved and was one of many who termed Nicola as a victim of Bullycide
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
schoolgirl who committed suicide after enduring years of bullying because she dressed in a Goth style. Her death on June 24, 2001 and allegations of bullying at her school, Lenzie Academy
Lenzie Academy
Lenzie Academy is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school located in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The catchment area covers the town of Lenzie, the village of Auchinloch and southern parts of Kirkintilloch.-Senior Management Team:...
, led to wide coverage in the local and national press. Later commentary has said that "in many ways the suicide could be read as a grim warning of the strength of hatred that was to lead to Sophie Lancaster’s death".
The case is also notable in that was featured some early coverage in the media of the issue of bullying by text message/mobile phones.
The case was also one of those cited by the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
in the setting up of their "Save our Kids Campaign" as seen here.
The issue was also raised in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
by Lyndsay McIntosh
Lyndsay McIntosh
Lyndsay McIntosh is a Scottish politician. She was a Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland from 1999 to 2003....
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
: "The minister mentioned children in his opening remarks, so I will channel his thoughts towards youngsters' being bullied. We should think about 16-year-old Nicola Raphael or 12-year-old Emma, who attended Broughton High School, both of whom committed suicide as a result of being bullied at school. I can think of nothing more crucial to the quality of life of our youngsters than that."
Background
Nicola Ann Raphael was born on 10 September 1985, the only daughter of David and Rona Raphael. She had two elder brothers, David and Christopher (Christopher's own experiences of being bullied at the school would also later be revealed in coverage). Nicola grew up in LenzieLenzie
Lenzie is a small town by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway in the East Dunbartonshire council area of Scotland. It is about six miles north-east of Glasgow city centre and one mile south of Kirkintilloch. It has a population of about 10,000.-Name:...
and Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch is a town and former burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal, about eight miles northeast of central Glasgow...
and attended the local state schools Millersneuk Primary and Lenzie Academy
Lenzie Academy
Lenzie Academy is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school located in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The catchment area covers the town of Lenzie, the village of Auchinloch and southern parts of Kirkintilloch.-Senior Management Team:...
.
Bullying incidents and suicide
Information requested for later legal action found that the bullying allegations went back over three years: "Internal papers just released reveal that 15-year-old Nicola Raphael, who took an overdose in 2001 after being tormented over her gothic appearance, had complained to teachers about bullying long before she died ... the document shows staff clearly knew the youngster, whose suicide shocked the nation, had felt under threat of physical attack but did not inform her parents."Reaction
Shortly after her death, at a concert Nicola was due to have attended, Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
was seen comforting Nicola's mother: "Performing in Glasgow last weekend, Manson dedicated the song Fight On to Nicola Raphael, 15, who overdosed on painkillers two months ago and was buried along with her ticket to the Manson show. After the concert, Manson met the girl's mother. He was very caring and considerate, Rona Raphael told Scotland's Daily Record newspaper. I was so touched that this megastar took time out to meet me. Despite all the controversy about him and his shows, he just seemed like a normal man to me...."
In June 2003 the story was also featured on Tonight with Trevor McDonald: GIRLS AFRAID "A report on the dramatic increase in bullying by girls. "
The program interviewed both bullies and their victims and tried to look at various sides of the story. Nicola's mother spoke of what her daughter had gone through as well as whether she thought bullies would ever comprehend the possible consequences of how they acted.
The case was also cited as the reason for a Scotland wide spate of legal actions against education authorities due to bullying.
"Mr Fyfe believes the recent spate of law suits may have been triggered by the highly publicised suicide of Lenzie Academy pupil Nicola Raphael, who killed herself after being victimised by fellow pupils for her taste in "Goth" music and clothes. Her mother, Rona, is suing East Dunbartonshire Council, claiming that school staff failed to protect her daughter from bullies despite repeated complaints."
Nicolas mother believed those who bullied her daughter were continuing their attacks even after the suicide.The annivery of the death was a particular focus for the activity and Strathclyde police investigated thefts and vandalism at Nicola's grave.
Bullying review
The Scottish parliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and in particular Brian Fitzpatrick
Brian Fitzpatrick
Brian Fitzpatrick may refer to:*Brian T. Fitzpatrick, American academic and lawyer, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University Law School*Brian Fitzpatrick *Brian Fitzpatrick...
took an interest in the case and joined in the calls for reviews of anti-bullying policies at the school and in East Dunbartonshire as a whole.
"MSP Brian Fitzpatrick has welcomed the decision to review the anti-bullying policy at Lenzie Academy, after the tragic death of teenager Nicola Raphael in June."
"Following a meeting with Lenzie Academy rector Roddy McLelland, Mr Fitzpatrick also welcomed the plans to improve the existing mentoring arrangements."
"He said: It is vital that a consistency of approach should be adopted. I will be pressing East Dunbartonshire Council to ensure that there are clearly delineated responsibilities across the authority for co-ordinating anti-bullying policy.
John Simmons, head of education at East Dunbartonshire Council, said: The council made a commitment last month to conduct an authority-wide review of the systems in place in all schools to deal with allegations of bullying. "
Organ donation
After Nicola’s death, her organs later helped save lives. Her family also were involved in National Health ServiceNHS Scotland
NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
(NHS) organ donation campaigns and were later featured in a 2005 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV documentary on organ donation entitled Life on the List where they met a young boy named Jack who was one of the recipients. The Life on the list documentary was broadcast widely and won a Peabody award that year (2005)
Although Nicola had carried a donor card for several years hospital staff did not ask the family about donation. Instead Nicola's mother had to approach staff herself to make sure her daughters wishes were carried out.
Stop bullying campaign
After Nicola's death, her friend Ashley and others including Nicola's family were inspired to create an anti-bullying website/campaign to highlight the extent to which bullying goes on."Last month, Ashley took a further stand against bullying when she went online to offer advice and help to other victims of playground torment.
She set up a website and email address and invited bullied children too afraid to tell an adult to write in with their experiences.
She has been inundated with messages and now intends to compile figures from the emails to launch an anti-bullying campaign in a bid to force the Scottish Parliament and her local authority to take action.
She says: "I was amazed at how many people wrote to me with their stories - and just how many people are being bullied."
Tim Field
Tim Field
Tim Field .was a prominent British anti-bullying activist with his main focus relating to workplace bullying....
was among those who became involved and was one of many who termed Nicola as a victim of Bullycide
Bullycide
The term bullycide is a portmanteau word first used in 2001 by Neil Marr and Tim Field in their book Bullycide: Death at Playtime. It refers to suicide attributable to the victim having been bullied, either in person or via social media. Bullycide has also been defined as the killing of the bully...
.
See also
- BullycideBullycideThe term bullycide is a portmanteau word first used in 2001 by Neil Marr and Tim Field in their book Bullycide: Death at Playtime. It refers to suicide attributable to the victim having been bullied, either in person or via social media. Bullycide has also been defined as the killing of the bully...
- Suicide of Tyler ClementiSuicide of Tyler ClementiTyler Clementi was an eighteen-year-old student at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. His roommate Dharun Ravi had video streamed Clementi kissing another man over the Internet without Clementi's knowledge,...
- Suicide of Ryan Halligan
- Suicide of Megan MeierSuicide of Megan MeierMegan Taylor Meier , was an American teenager from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, who committed suicide by hanging three weeks before her fourteenth birthday. A year later, Meier's parents prompted an investigation into the matter and her suicide was attributed to cyber-bullying through the social...
- Suicide of Phoebe Prince
- Suicide of Dawn-Marie Wesley
- Suicide of Kelly Yeomans
- Lenzie AcademyLenzie AcademyLenzie Academy is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school located in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The catchment area covers the town of Lenzie, the village of Auchinloch and southern parts of Kirkintilloch.-Senior Management Team:...
External links
- Kirkintilloch Herald Article
- Daily Record Article
- Herald Scotland Article
- Herald Scotland Article
- Herald Scotland Article
- http://www.stopbullying.sitekit.net/ the stop bullying website set up following nicolas death (presently experiencing hosting problems)
- http://web.archive.org/web/20041204233748/http://www.stopbullying.sitekit.net/ web archive link of the campaigning site set up following Nicola's death