Bullying in Zabaykalsky: A mother's legacy of violence

Children, when choosing a victim for bullying, can be very cruel. First, they «bite» lightly, assessing the possible response. Then they attack more confidently, in a group. If the bullying target tries to respond, the pressure level increases. It all ends predictably at one moment—with an incident that parents and the public learn about. Usually, the aggressors also record this on their smartphone cameras. And then, feeling the consequences of their actions on their own skin, some calm down, while others continue the bullying, but now stealthily, in a mean way. Such a story happened in one of the small villages of Zabaykalsky Krai. And it is not unique, but illustrative.

«Daughter, were you crying?»

Angelina (name changed) is 13 years old. In her native village in Chita District, fewer than 1,500 people live, but there are three schools. In one of them, the girl has been studying since first grade, and until fourth grade, she was a straight-A student. According to acquaintances of the schoolgirl, she doesn«t have many friends, but she has a best friend who is a classmate. And in the class, there is an opposite—a C-student who, apparently, is irritated by her peer»s success. The academic performance of the two students, it is said, became the apple of discord.

«I don»t even know how many times she was beaten, she hid everything. She«d come home, looking teary-eyed. I»d ask: «Daughter, were you crying?» She says no, blaming the frost outside. But one day in November 2024, a friend called me and said that Gelya was being beaten on the street. There were seven people—boys and two girls. They were kicking her in the snow, throwing snow at her, rubbing it in her face. And the main instigator was filming everything on her phone,« says the girl»s mother, Natalya.

News of the incident quickly reached the school administration. Parents were called to the teachers« lounge, and there was a difficult conversation. Angelina herself was blamed for what happened. Allegedly, she cursed at the kids, who then got even with her. The local police officer also became interested in the story. After hearing all sides, she already at a parent meeting reprimanded Gelya»s mother. Like, why are you raising your child so poorly that she insults others. Well, the scuffle in the snow—allegedly a natural consequence for not knowing how to hold her tongue.

By the way, the schoolgirl«s mother wrote a statement to the police at that time, but to this day, she doesn»t know what the result of that action was.

«According to Prison Code»

A year passed. It seemed that all the most unpleasant things were behind.

«It wasn»t even seven yet. My daughter was supposed to stop by the store where I work after her walk so we could go home together. I was about to close up when she comes in. All in tears. Her hair has always been long, but here it was all rolled up, a bun on her head, as if they tried to bury her. She says: «Mom, Petrova (last name changed) beat me up. Knocked me down, sat on me, and just punched me in the head with her fists.» And there«s a fire station there, next to a boiler house with coal on the road. They beat my daughter in that coal. Angelina claims she tried to resolve everything with words, but her classmate answered: »I want to beat you up.« And she did. There was a bump on her forehead, a hematoma. Her hair was impossible to touch,» recalls the schoolgirl«s mother.

This time, it was decided to document the injuries and write another statement to the police. But first, try to talk to the offender«s mother.

«I went to her and said: »Tamara, what«s the matter, how long will you keep beating the child?» She answers: «Well, if she doesn»t understand anything at your place, constantly says that my daughter is a poor student, and yours is so smart. I want to tell you that all the A-students end up as prostitutes on the highway, and the poor students—they go by the high concepts.« According to prison code, that is. And she added: »I«ve spent my life hitting everyone, and my daughter will hit too.» And she was the same in school. What«s there to catch? We went to the police,» Natalya shrugs.

The same police officer who dealt with the situation a year ago accepted the statement. According to the mother, she was immediately warned that nothing would happen to the fighter, not even administrative responsibility for the beating, because it applies from age 16.

But the process was still initiated. A juvenile affairs inspector came to the school. Interviewed the victim, talked with the children in the class. And then reported that she would put Angelina«s offender on preventive registration.

After which the girl started receiving disgusting content messages addressed to her via an anonymous Telegram bot. With swearing, threats, including of a sexual nature.

«She forwarded all this to me, well, it»s some kind of nightmare. What kind of twisted and perverted mind comes up with this? There, they promised to continue bullying my daughter and never forgive her for one date. That«s the very date when the juvenile affairs inspector was at the school and put my daughter»s classmate on the register. But we can«t prove that she is continuing the bullying. I turned to our police—they just advised deleting Telegram from the phone. I went from the village to Chita—to the department for Chita District, wrote a statement there. Made screenshots of the messages on 11 sheets. And again silence. Then a refusal came, no one will deal with this. We appealed to the prosecutor»s office to check the legality of the refusal,« complained Gelya»s mother.

In the class itself, according to her, it became calmer. They stopped openly offending the girl. And the bullying moved to the internet.

The Ill-Fated Bot

Evgenia also became a participant in this story—an expert who, among other things, has the right to certify internet correspondence for possible court proceedings. She was approached by a lawyer who is helping the family of schoolgirl Angelina seek justice.

«We had interacted with this lawyer before. I have both mobile-forensic and computer-forensic expertise—that kind of profile. And I told him that we could try to certify the correspondence—not notarially, but with an expert assessment. I started delving into this topic. I myself entered this anonymous Telegram bot to understand how it works. Kept in touch with the girl, she sent me screenshots. And the most important thing here is that the messages there are not addressed personally, but are seen by everyone in that chat. That is, they can really concern a specific person, but can also be addressed to someone else, but come to everyone. If you want to find out who wrote the anonymous message, you have to pay money. To reply—you need to subscribe to other bots and channels. So this bot earns money and subscriptions. I don»t know how Angelina ended up there, and she has two of them, I entered one,« notes Evgenia.

She observed the bot and the correspondence there for several weeks. And came to the conclusion that even messages that might concern another person, the girl began taking personally.

«Then it came to the point where she sends me what supposedly came to her: »Good morning, stinker.« But the same thing came to me, exactly the same. They even wrote to me there: »I know you smoke, I«ll tell your mom.» And I«m over 30, tell me. (Laughs). And apparently, this works on someone. They write, of course, all sorts of things there. And there are a lot of insults. And the insults are not childish. And, it»s clear that there could be children from her class in this bot. I think the pressure on Gelya has already subsided, it was just general messages that I also received. I don«t exclude that initially the attack might have been specifically on her.»

Moreover, she says that she leaves the chat, but in the morning finds herself there again. I checked: if you just press the «Leave» button, indeed nothing happens. But if you block and leave the bot, then you won«t be dragged back there,» concluded Evgenia.

On the Register

The press service of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Zabaykalsky Krai assured that on all reports from the parents of the schoolgirl victim of bullying and beatings, police officers conducted checks and took all comprehensive response measures.

«According to the results of a forensic medical examination conducted by a third-party organization, it was established that no harm was caused to the girl»s health. And her opponent has not reached the age for administrative responsibility for battery, but preventive measures have been taken against her. She has been placed on preventive registration in the police department, and the inspection materials have been reviewed by the district commission on juvenile affairs,« commented the police.

They added that following the meeting, Angelina«s offender was also placed on the register of the district commission on juvenile affairs: »That is, preventive work is being conducted with her both by police officers and all prevention authorities. The girl is constantly checked at her place of residence, and up-to-date characterizing materials are requested from the school.«

As for the anonymous messages received by Gelya, as noted in the press service, a check was also conducted on them. All classmates and teachers were interviewed, but it was not possible to identify the author of these messages.

«The juvenile affairs inspector at the school repeatedly held talks about the consequences, including legal ones, that can result from such unlawful actions,» emphasized the press service.

Tips to Remember

The Commissioner for Children«s Rights in Zabaykalsky Krai, Natalia Epova, said that victims of bullying can contact her directly (independently without parents), and also in the region, there is a project where a psychologist and a professional mediator provide free consultations. You can make an appointment by phone: 8 (3022) 28-30-60.

«If you or your child encounters bullying, it is important to immediately seek support. In Zabaykalsky Krai, several specialized services are operating. Hotlines and emergency assistance (operate around the clock, calls are free): All-Russian Children»s Helpline—8-800-2000-122; regional hotlines in Chita—40-14-83, 28-33-22, 25-07-41. Moreover, since September 2024, a «Stop! Bullying» function has been launched in the «Electronic Diary» for Zabaykalsky schoolchildren. It allows anonymously reporting a problem directly to the school. School mediation services operate in 330 schools in the region. They include teachers and students and help resolve conflicts. All-Russian support hotline: psy@zhuravlik.org—you can write an email if you can«t get through by phone,» reported the commissioner«s office.

Specialized centers and institutions in Zabaykalsky Krai where victims of bullying can also turn for psychological help:

Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Assistance «Trust,» city of Chita, Textilshchikov Street, 1a. Phone: 25-14-88.

Center for Diagnostics and Counseling «Family,» city of Chita, Lenin Street, 27a. Phone: 41-06-62.

Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital named after V. Kh. Kandinsky, city of Chita, Okruzhnoy Proezd, 3. Phones: 8 (914) 800-54-96, 8 (3022) 40-14-81 (ext. 230).

Measures to influence those who bully (bullies):

immediate intervention by adults: inaction or hiding the fact of bullying only worsens the situation;

bringing to disciplinary responsibility: the actions of aggressors must have clear consequences according to the educational institution«s charter;

individual psychological and pedagogical work: it is important to understand the causes of aggressive behavior (family problems, low self-esteem, desire to assert oneself). The work should be aimed at correcting behavior, developing empathy, and social skills;

work with the aggressor«s family: often the roots of the problem—are in the family environment (weak control, violence, conflicts between parents). Involving social educators, psychologists, and in serious cases—commissions on juvenile affairs—is mandatory;

in cases of serious offenses (battery, extortion, harm to health) it is necessary to contact law enforcement agencies.

How to deal with anonymous bullying in messengers (cyberbullying is especially dangerous due to its anonymity and round-the-clock nature). Here is a step-by-step action algorithm:

Do not respond or engage in arguments. This is the main rule. The aggressor«s goal—is to upset you and get a reaction. Your silence deprives them of this opportunity;

Collect and save evidence. Take screenshots of all offensive messages, photos, audio, or videos. Record dates, times, nicknames. This will be necessary for further appeals;

Block the sender and restrict access. Use blocking functions in the messenger or social network. Check privacy settings—who can write to you and comment on your posts;

Complain to the platform administration. Almost all social networks and messengers have rules and mechanisms for reporting offensive content and bullying. Submit a complaint, attaching the collected evidence;

Tell an adult you trust. Do not stay alone with the problem. Turn to parents, the class teacher, or the school psychologist. Show them the saved evidence;

Seek psychological support. Even anonymous bullying deals a serious blow. Call the children«s helpline (8-800-2000-122) or contact the regional center »Trust« (25-14-88) to discuss your experiences with a specialist;

In case of serious threats to life and health, immediately report it to parents and together contact the police. Threats on the internet—are the same offense.

Experts especially emphasize that seeking help—is a sign of strength, not weakness. And bullying—is a systemic problem, and it can only be solved together: with the participation of the child, parents, school, and specialized professionals.

The story of Angelina from a Zabaykalsky village—is one of many. Obviously, she should have told her mother about the bullying earlier. And since it came to blows, there is nothing shameful in publicizing the situation, contacting the police, trying to appeal to the conscience of the offender«s parents, even if they share the criminalized beliefs of their child. As for anonymous messages—there is always a way to make sure not to receive or read such messages. After all, in them is simply rabid malice, spilling from helplessness and stupidity.