Representative image showing a sewing awl.
Credit: iStock Photo
In a disturbing event, a class six girl in China was stabbed by her classmate with sewing awl more than 200 hundred time over a span of three months.
The girl suffered muscle injuries and was blackmailed for money.
Many people are outraged after officials said that this case "did not meet the standards of bullying".
As per a report by South China Morning Post, she was stabbed by a transfer student at a school in Shandong province. He used a needle that was about 7 to 8 cm long and pierced it into her leg.
The boy even used a paper cutter to stab her, slapped her and forced her to eat paper and pencil lead.
"It hurt so much, I wanted to die," the girl said, as reported by the publication.
The victim's family posted a video on September 8 showing her injuries and demanded justice.
Her mother mentioned that the boy told his classmates that his father is the school principal's friend.
The girl did not talk about the bullying to her mother as she did not want her mother to worry about it.
She had reported to the teacher about the bullying and showed the injury marks. The teacher however advised her "not to provoke others" and visit the health care centre.
The school then asked 14 participants including school officials, lawyer and police officer to vote to determine if this qualifies as an act of bullying.
Eight out of 14 voted saying it was not bullying and the boy's actions "did not meet the standards of school bullying."
A staff member noted that the two students are no longer in the same class.
The incident has garnered attention from netizens.
"The authorities are correct. This was not school bullying; it was a crime of assault and intentional injury," a user commented on 'Douyin', a social media platform.
"The school should not decide if it was bullying; the law must hold the boy accountable," said another, as quoted by the publication.