Shukri Abdi was a 12 year old girl who came to the UK escaping conflict in Somalia.
Being Born and raised in a Kenyan Refugee Camp, she did not have the easiest start to life.
Her family then migrated to the Greater Manchester as part of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme where I am sure a better life was what they were hoping to find in the UK. But unfortunately this was not the case.
Shukri was hounded and bullied at school by her peers which sadly led to her untimely death.
“If you don’t get into the water, I’m going to kill you”
(Shukri Abdi was found drowned in River Irwell in Bury, Greater Manchester)
Her death was deemed by the coroner as an accident as a result of rough play between school children. But if you ask me this was no accident.
Some state that Shukri was coerced into going into the water... others say she went into the water voluntarily & they did not try to save her because they thought she was joking.
The police working on her case have said to have thought there was substantial evidence proving otherwise.
Substantial evidence such as this:
The children involved in her death all have contradictory accounts of what happened that day. Some state that Shukri was coerced into going into the water, and that no one had tried to save her. While others say she went into the water voluntarily & they did not try to save her because they thought she was joking.
In a statement one of the kids involved claimed that she heard one of the children tell Shukri that “If you don’t get into the water, I’m going to kill you” and that this same child was laughing as she watched Shukri drown.
How could this be deemed an accident with such provoking statements - someone needs to be held accountable.
information on how to help Shukri Abdi’s family in their fight for justice: https://grmdaily.com/justice-for-shukri-abdi/
What were the adults doing?
Why didn’t the school do more to protect her and make sure her transition into a new school was going well?
According to the school website their anti bullying strategies are built to ensure all of their students feel safe and confident that any and all concerns will be dealt with seriously and sensitively.
However after Shukri's death the school remained unchanged, the children returned, and their uniform was changed as a sign that they wanted to 'start fresh' and forget the past.
Is that all Shukri's death was? A burden?
When instead it should have been a shockwave. A sign of a need for severe change. Especially in a predominately white area like Greater Manchester.
It is the responsibility of everyone in the school community to take a proactive stance against all forms of bullying… We have a duty of care to ensure that all pupils are educated free from harassment, intimidation, aggression, discrimination and derogatory language.
By Mary Raftopoulos
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