An 11-year-old girl was given
an award from the prefect of the northern city of Cremona on
Tuesday for showing remarkable courage and maturity in the face
of bullying.
The girl, Flavia, was the victim of verbal and physical
violence, including messages on her school desk wishing her
death.
The girl reacting by sending a letter of love on Valentine's
Day to local newspaper La Provincia that included a message in
which she addresses her tormentor "with affection and
compassion".
"Dear bully, while it's true that, on one hand, you have
wiped out any illusion I had of being in the golden world of a
child, on the other, I thank you because you have given me drive
and grit," Flavia wrote.
"Dear bully, I just wanted to say that you will never be able
to extinguish my desire to live".
Her response was hailed by Education Undersecretary Peppe De
Cristofaro.
"Thank you Flavia!," Cristofaro said on Facebook.
"With your courage and your strength, you have build a wall
and created a bridge.
"And you showed all of us, adults first of all, that you
don't tackle bullying by adding violence to violence, but by
breaking the grip of silence and fear that it feeds on".
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