Bully blues: Terrified Thai teenager trades classrooms for bedroom sanctuary for 3 years
A 15 year old boy is so scared of a school bully that he has refused to attend school for three years, finding refuge in his bedroom for the past three years. The teenager is now getting help to overcome his fear of the school bully.
Officers from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security visited the boy’s home in the Na Thap Hai sub-district, Ratanawapee district, in the Isaan province of Nong Khai on Monday, June 19.
The boy refused to talk with the officers but agreed to have a health check before returning to his bedroom.
The boy’s mother, Jiraporn, revealed that she divorced her husband in March 2020. She and her ex-husband had four children together: two daughters aged 23 and 20, who both married and moved to other provinces while she remains at home with her 15 year old and four year old sons.
Jiraporn revealed her teenage son refused to go to school when he turned 11 years old because he was being bullied by his classmates about his gender identity.
Jiraporn said he was a good student and always received top grades in his exams. However, the lack of classroom attendance meant the boy could not move up and study. Jiraporn said…
“My son did not go to school after the semester ended. He locked himself in his bedroom, did not shower, did not talk to anyone, and let his hair grow long and messy. He has done that for a year. He sometimes went outside to eat and shower but I would not force him to go to school. He became like this when he was 12 years old. It is three years now. I never reported this to anyone or any government department.”
Jiraporn said he came out of his room sometimes to feed the dogs and cats and played with his younger brother on odd occasions but rarely said a word. He sometimes cooked food and was kind and clever.
Officers returned to the house and informed the boy he would have to go through a series of treatment processes. He agreed to go with the officers for further mental health checks.
Sanook spoke to the neighbours about the reclusive boy. They confirmed that the boy was a very private person, but he was an animal lover and could take care of himself. They believed that there was a lack of communication between the boy and his mother. The mother did not have time for her son and the father was not home.
