The state imitates anti-bullying activity

On November 23, a high school graduate student on the outskirts of Baku posted a lengthy post on a web page in which he declared his bisexual orientation and bullying in school and family.

The history of his ordeal began in the 8th grade, when he began to appear among the students in the clothes and hairstyle peculiar to girls. Since then, they have openly mocked him, sometimes they beat him, once they caught him outside the school, the children hounded a dog on him, knowing that he was afraid of dogs since childhood. Students of his own and other schools scoff at him. The boy sees a disdainful, to the point of insults, attitude towards himself from the teachers.

We do not give names, surnames and school numbers for ethical reasons and in accordance with the requirement of the law on the rights of minors. The student is 16 years old.

In an interview with Turan, he confirmed what he had written, in the following days he continued to report on the network about what was happening at the school. Employees of the State Committee for Children, Women and Families, the Baku City Department of Education, the “School Friend” project of the Ministry of Education came there, at different times, representatives of the Ombudsman's Office who called him were interested in the boy's case.

The situation in the child's family is now difficult, his mother fainted several times, the boy refused to tell the phone numbers of his parents, fearing the deterioration of the health of his father and mother.

In an interview with Turan, employees of the above departments said that work was being done with the boy and the school staff, consultations were given, there were conversations with schoolchildren and teachers. The details of this work are not reported in the press services of these departments, citing ethical considerations and the need to keep this story secret from the public. But the bully student is open about his data. He declares that he is not hiding himself, as he is going to openly fight against a society that rejects the right of sexual minorities to freedom of expression and lifestyle.

The school director, in a telephone conversation with Turan, denies any form of violence against his student. He refused to answer questions, saying that he had communicated all the information to the Baku Education Department.

The boy disagrees with his statement, saying on the social network that the violence has been and continues. Since his normal study is impossible in this educational institution, he refuses to attend this school.

In subsequent posts, he informed about the deterioration of the attitude towards him on the part of teachers and students after his first message about his trouble. The teenager writes that representatives of departments are encouraging students to post on the networks texts defaming the boy and explaining his behavior with a desire to disgrace the school.

In one of the statuses, the boy reported that the Russian language teacher showed his photo in class and said that he was gay.

The student's conflict with society continues. The active work of the departments, which was reported to Turan in the press services of the State Committee for Women, Children and Family Affairs, the Ombudsman's Office, the Baku Education Department, the Ministry of Education and the "Family Friend" project did not improve the situation, but rather contributed to the creation of a united front of students and teachers against the student who refuses to live, like others.

A specific decision on the boy's fate has not been made. As if specialists from various departments think that having talked with the team, they can change their long-term attitude towards a gay boy. It is possible to allow a high school student to complete their studies online without going to school. Take exams from him and issue a certificate so that the graduate can continue life in Azerbaijan or in another country where people like him are treated with understanding. After listening to this proposal from Turan, our interlocutors did not want to express their attitude towards him, advising him to wait for the results of the work being carried out.

Turan asked the opinion of the head of the Initiative Group "For Women" Zumrud Yagmur. She knows the boy and his family, confirms many years of bullying and characterizes this student as a very calm child. She supports the openness of the boy, who does not hide his peculiarity and has announced his intention to fight for his rights. Z. Yagmur recalled the tragic story of 14-year-old Elina Hajiyeva, who was persecuted in a Baku school for her unusual appearance, leading to suicide. The public figure fears that the lack of effective action on the part of government departments will lead to the same end as happened in 2019 with E. Hajiyeva. — 0—