Mount Rowan bullying video: family of teenage girl speak out

'Ann' said the 15-year-old alleged bullying victim had given statements to Ballarat Police and the entire family had been unable to sleep since the incident earlier in the week.

Police have confirmed they are investigating and are calling for anybody with additional information to come forward.

There have been multiple videos of bullying filmed at Mount Rowan Secondary College in recent weeks, two of which have been seen by ACM's The Courier.

In the videos, groups of students can be seen gathering around a bullying incident, boasting about the filming.

The school has not commented on the issue, but the Department of Education insists it has a "zero tolerance" policy on bullying.

However, for the family of the girl who became the target of the alleged attack, they say returning to the school is not an option.

"They're never going back," the relative said.

"There needs to be more authority at schools.

"If this had happened to my own children, I couldn't live with myself.

"I've now offered for her to stay here with me. I'd do anything to help the family and support them."

Ann said a hair-pulling video from July 20, the hair-cutting from Monday and multiple voice recordings shared online had brought back memories of trauma from her own school years.

"(As) for my relative, she has a new haircut - and a new life," she said.

"A mobile hairdresser came and gave her a free cut. She was just beautiful. She did what she could because the way it was cut on Monday was hard to fix.

"My (relative)'s always had long hair. She's never cut more than a centimetre off.

"Her hair is her life.

"She is trying to deal with this as best she can - and trying to keep a smile on her face."

Ann also said the vile viral video had - in a way - brought some relief.

"We're happy that this is out there now because it shouldn't be something that gets kept behind closed doors," she said.

"Adults wouldn't get away with this."

Ballarat police have stopped short of increasing patrols at schools where serious bullying has been identified, saying proactive youth work gives them a strong visual presence.

"We have a great relationship with schools in Ballarat - and if there's a requirement after an incident at the school, it can be reported to police," Leading Senior Constable Des Hudson said.

"We're also proactive in talking to schools - both primary and secondary - and we're trying to make children a bit more aware and that they should be absolutely responsible for their own actions.

"Some young people have an impulse to act without thinking of the ripple effects."

He said ongoing bullying could affect a young person's development, self esteem and - if isolating was their defence - their ability to mix with others into the future.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Hopefully people don't still regard it as a rite of passage," Leading Senior Constable Hudson said.

"Adults don't put up with it in the workplace - so why would kids?"

He said while 'bullying' was not a criminal offence in itself, the behaviour could constitute unlawful assault.

"People need to remember that assault can be many things," Leading Senior Constable Hudson said.

"It could be verbal - or it could be intimidation via technology with an intent to menace or harass."

He also stressed the importance of building trust with teenagers and fully listening to what they had to say without assuming an incident was a misunderstanding or 'that person would never do that'.

"Our responsibilities as adults are to make the time to listen to our children and advocate on their behalf," Leading Senior Constable Hudson said.

"Kids should be able to go to school and feel safe and supported.

"Not feeling safe can really compromise learning."

Leading Senior Constable Hudson's advice for parents with not-so-talkative teens included looking for small changes in behaviour, tone-of-voice and sudden moodiness.

"If you think something's up, just ask: 'Do you want to talk about it?'," he said.

"Check in and touch base and make it clear that bullying is not okay and there's no shame in discussing it.

"No one should have to put up with it."

He encouraged young people to contact Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 if they could not talk to a trusted parent, teacher or other adult in a timely manner.