It’s unfathomable to imagine what Cassidy Trevan of Melbourne, Australia, experienced in her short life. At the age of 13, she was gang raped by the same group who bullied her. Just two years later, she couldn’t handle the pressure and ended her pain via suicide. Before leaving this plane, she wrote a powerful letter as a warning to other students at her school – and it’s heartbreaking.
“My name is Cassidy Trevan, and I was raped,” the letter begins. “I was a student at (school name omitted) and I was raped by some of the students who still attend that school. My aim is to warn other people (students mostly but also parents) about what happened because I’m worried if they could do it to me they could do it to other kids like me, or at least try to. If anyone every tries this on you trust me it’s worth fighting! Fight! If you don’t you’ll regret it for the rest of your life like I do. You can do it. Be careful. Be warned. Be safe.”
Cassidy lived with the fear of how the bullies might retaliate if she gave an official statement. So though the gang rape was reported, no action was ever taken by the Dandenong police. And, though Cassidy and her mom, Linda, met with the law enforcement more than twenty times over a two-year period, the case was eventually dropped due to lack of evidence.
After the unfortunate death of Cassidy, her mother found the unfinished letter on her computer. She shared it to various media outlets, including 9 News, and revealed it on Facebook. The title reads “BULLYING KILLED MY CHILD,” and begins:
“I had to watch my baby suffer for the next 22 months from these demons … she worried you would find her and get her again, she went through continued bullying from some of you who managed to get to her by phone or social media, via others, even after what you’d done to her. She suffered flash backs of the crime, nightmares, insomnia, separation anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD and subsequent worsening mental illness. I’m not a mean, angry, or vindictive person … but what you kids did … I hope you never forgive yourselves and never forget the name Cassidy Trevan. You all have blood on your hands for as long as you live.”
Sadly, Cassidy’s story is not unique. 1 in 6 women in Australia has been raped, according to the NSW Rape Crisis Centre. In the U.S., that statistic is about 1 in 5 (1 in 4 for college students). Many incidents go unreported, and the men and women who suffer from the abuse are left to deal with their inner turmoil on their own. Raise awareness about this travesty by sharing Cassidy’s story and by being an activist in your own life when you witness bullying in any situation.
Cassidy was just 13-years-old when she was gang-raped.
Though the incident was reported to the police, it was eventually dropped due to lack of evidence.
For 22 months, she suffered from the memory and the fear of what the bullies might do.
She left this heartbreaking letter before ending her life:
Her mother reflected on the experience in an article titled “BULLYING KILLED MY CHILD…”
Fortunately, people on the internet have been kind:
What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!
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