By Admin. Updated 8:20 a.m., Monday, June 23, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The mother of a 16-year-old girl has once again raised concerns regarding ongoing bullying by a group of girls targeting her daughter.
Dahalia Baptiste-Thomas, who has repeatedly highlighted the issue on her Facebook page, stated that she has reported the matter to teachers and school authorities, but to no avail.
Speaking to One News SVG, Mrs Baptiste-Thomas explained that the problem began around November 2024. Her daughter, who attends a secondary school in Kingstown, was first approached by a group of girls while waiting for a minibus at a popular bus stop/parking lot area at Stoney Ground to return home.
“The first time she reported the issue to me, she was at Massy one afternoon waiting for a van, and about five of them approached her and started saying things like, ‘Oh, you said this about me, oh, you said that about me, and this person said you said,’ and it was a whole he-said-she-said situation,” Mrs Baptiste-Thomas recounted.
“She kept telling them, ‘I never said anything about you, I don’t know what you’re talking about, so unless you have proof that I said anything…’ At that time, she could not call me because I did not allow her to take her phone to school. It was only after that incident that I started to let her carry her phone, and I told her, ‘If anything like this happens again, call me immediately.’ When she came home, she was very emotional and actually crying,” Mrs Baptiste-Thomas explained.
“I had to calm her down and encourage her to explain what had happened. A cousin of mine who works at Massy witnessed the group of girls approaching her, although she was not certain what was occurring. Another adult woman intervened and escorted my daughter to catch a van, interceding on her behalf. She remarked that the girls often create confusion and trouble whenever they encounter other children,” the mother continued.
Mrs Baptiste-Thomas stated that the alleged provocations have continued into this year.
“Very recently, I had to call a friend to collect her from Massy again because of the same group of girls. Even after I contacted some of their parents—the ones I know—to ask them to instruct their daughters to address any issues directly with me rather than confronting my child in the street at Massy Stoney Ground, the situation persisted. I even advised my daughter to change her route home, suggesting she use Little Tokyo or Hospital Corner instead, and to stay near people she knows, as the girls always seem to wait until she is alone.
“My daughter attends [name of school withheld]. I have made several reports to the headmistress and her class teachers. I have done everything I can to address the situation, but it always seems to be turned against my daughter. The group of girls will claim she said something, but there is never any proof—no physical conversation, no text message, nothing to show that my daughter actually said anything,” Mrs Baptiste-Thomas added.
She noted that most of the other girls involved attend the [name of school withheld] a leading secondary school in Kingstown.
Her father had to also intervene, speaking to a parent of one of the other girls, but to no avail. Mrs Baptiste-Thomas expressed deep concern for her daughter’s safety.
“I am fearful for my child’s safety because I have seen too many incidents where children harass others and end up harming innocent young people simply because they have not been taught how to conduct themselves,” she lamented.
She said she has twice contacted [name of school withheld], asking to speak to the principal, but no action has been taken, “as the incidents do not occur on the school premises, they said they cannot do anything”.
She maintains that there have been two attempted attacks, and her daughter cannot understand why she is being targeted in this manner.
Mrs Baptiste-Thomas claims that on Friday, June 13, five of the alleged bullies encountered her daughter in a van and allegedly told the van driver to take my daughter to Mt Wynne instead of her stop in [address concealed] to beat her.
“On Friday, June 13, June, 2025, she caught a van. She’d messaged earlier saying she didn’t have data, and I actually forgot to get her some. She was able to send me three simple messages when the van stopped at Lowmans Bus Stop close to the school, and I immediately knew something was wrong. When I came outside, I called her and the music in the van was so loud I couldn’t even hear her so I waited and when the van stopped there were two young ladies screaming at her and my daughter responded, “well ah reach alyo beat now.” By then, she had already exited the van. When I asked what was the issue, she explained that while waiting with another class mate to get home, the mini van came and it was empty, the driver asked her if she wasn’t heading home.”
“She said she made it clear that she didn’t want to catch the van because the same girls usually catch it, they don’t like her, and she wants nothing with nobody. Both driver and conductor assured her that it was fine and that the girls weren’t around to catch the van, only to drive a short distance from where they picked her up and the same girls were there waiting for the van.”
“She was in the front seat and the conductor asked her to come out from in front so he can give the seat to an older gentleman who said he “didn’t wanna ride in the back with little children.” She gave up her seat, and that’s when they started attacking her verbally and threatening her, all while in full school uniform. The van was filled with people and she was able to state that one of the young ladies told the driver he wouldn’t be stopping at my daughter’s address to let her out, they were taking her to Mt. Wynne, beat her there and leave her.”
She said she would answer when it’s overbearing, like to tell them stop calling her name or just to leave her alone in general but she said “Friday I know I was out numbered and my classmate kept telling me don’t study them even though they are in the van shouting at the top of their voices to try and get her attention.”
The van works in the Central Leeward area, and one of the young women kept saying, “Everything you call yo muma fa. Like yo muma could do somebody something.”
The mother said, “I am fed up. I’ve taught my daughter self worth, I’ve taught her the value of her innocence, I speak to her every day about maintaining her standards, I remind her that I love her with my whole heart and to always stand for something.” She added that, “I treat her well. We go on dates, I do all of her shopping, she goes on line, picks what she likes and I buy it. She’s my only daughter.”
END
One News SVG 