MILWAUKEE -- A local mother and daughter have teamed up to create an online safe space for victims of bullying.
Tiya Sanders and her mother, Lenora Sanders, started the campaign "Bullies Beware" more than a year ago. Together, they've created a safe space on Facebook, an emotionally positive t-shirt line, and Youtube Video to speak up for those who feel they can't.
Tiya says she got the idea from Facebook when her mom showed her story about a young girl who committed suicide because she was being bullied. After hearing this, Tiya said immediate action to support victims -- instead of trying to stop the bullies -- was necessary.
"We don't want kids to kill themselves over it. It's something that can be prevented," said Tiya Sanders. "So I think it's important and it can help them a lot."
According to a study from the Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center, more than one of every five students reported being bullied.
This is concerning since bullying can lead students to attempt suicide almost three times more than those who aren't victims.
Since Tiya is a new freshman, Lenora says some of the work falls on her. She says she doesn't mind that because it's worth it. While Tiya started this campaign, she's never been bullied -- but some of her family members have.
Her cousins, Trinity Harris and Christopher Allenwalton, along with close family friend Mouna Oumar, say they've all been vuicti. Mouna says she was randomly pushed for no reason. Trinity says she was terrorized for over a year by her bully.
Unfortunately, Christopher's bullying was harder for him to fight against because of his Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Pacer's research found 40% of children with autism and 60% of children with Asperger’s syndrome have experienced bullying.
Lenora says the shirts her daughter created are to empower victims to love themselves. No matter what the bullies say.
Outside of her campaign, Tiya says everyone should stand up to bullies -- if not for yourself, for others.
And the good news is, Pacer's research also found 57% of bullying instances stop when someone intervenes.
