21 Tally Marks Drawn on Son's Hand Represent 'School Violence' Incidents... British Father Outraged

Matthew Beard, who lives in London, England, took a photo of the back of his son's hand and posted it on his Twitter.
[Photo by Twitter]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A photo of a boy's hand back shared by a father in the UK on social networking service (SNS) has touched the hearts of netizens.

According to recent major UK media, Matthew Beard from London recently took a photo of his son's hand back and posted it on his Twitter. In the photo, several lines were drawn on the back of his son's hand as if counting the number of times.

It turned out that these marks represented the number of times the son had been subjected to school violence over the past two days.

Beard, upon realizing the meaning of the scribbles, was shocked. He said, "My son has been in high school for just over a week, and in just two days, he has suffered verbal and physical abuse 21 times," adding, "It breaks my heart."

He also expressed anger, saying, "The school should punish the offending students more severely, and their parents should also be held accountable."

Regarding the reason for sharing the photo on SNS, he explained, "I think this is a powerful photo, and my son also wants to show how often such incidents happen at school." He added, "I hope your children can live safely at school."

Netizens who heard the story left supportive comments for Beard and his son, while demanding severe punishment for the offending students. One netizen said, "As a fellow father, my heart aches deeply," emphasizing, "The school must clearly establish countermeasures." Another netizen, who introduced themselves as a teacher, pointed out, "You wouldn't believe how much violence occurs at school," and urged, "More measures must be taken immediately."

Meanwhile, according to a 2019 survey conducted by the global youth charity 'Ditch the Label' targeting 2,000 UK students, about 20% responded that they had experienced bullying. Among them, 62% were bullied by classmates, and 37% by strangers, the media reported.

Additionally, in 2018, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) announced that 29% of UK school principals reported weekly student bullying. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, as of the end of March 2020, one in five children aged 10 to 15 living in England and Wales had experienced bullying at home or school.