As a parent who has witnessed the devastating impact of bullying, verbal abuse, exclusion and emotional harm on my child, I am compelled to call for urgent change.

My child has experienced repeated humiliation, isolation and targeted behaviour that has deeply affected their confidence, wellbeing, dignity and sense of safety at school. This is not an isolated incident. It reflects a much broader issue affecting children across New South Wales who are being harmed by behaviours that go beyond what is currently recognised or properly addressed within our school systems.

Too often, the focus is placed only on overt bullying or verbal abuse, while more complex and deeply harmful behaviours are overlooked. Lateral violence — including shaming, exclusion, intimidation, gossip, undermining, social manipulation, abuse of power and repeated emotional harm — is causing serious damage to children in schools. These behaviours can destroy a child’s sense of belonging, identity, emotional safety and ability to learn. The effects can be long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong.

While non-physical harm is often minimised, the emotional and psychological injuries caused by lateral violence can be just as serious as physical harm. Children should not have to endure environments where they are made to feel unsafe, worthless or targeted while trying to learn.

We are not seeking to criticise schools without offering solutions. We want to support the NSW Department of Education to better understand, navigate and respond to lateral violence in school settings. Schools need stronger tools, clearer guidance and a system-wide framework for identifying, preventing and resolving lateral violence before it causes lasting harm.

That is why we are calling on the Minister for Education, the Hon. Prue Car, to take immediate action by:

• Recognising lateral violence as a serious form of harm within school communities;
• Providing staff with training to identify, respond to and resolve lateral violence in culturally safe, trauma-informed and child-centred ways;
• Establishing clear complaint, escalation and accountability pathways for families when schools fail to act;
• Most importantly, we are calling for an update to the Education Act 1990 (NSW) to ensure it reflects the full reality of harm experienced by children in schools. The legislation must go beyond narrow references to verbal abuse and acknowledge lateral violence as a serious and harmful behaviour that includes emotional abuse, social exclusion, intimidation, humiliation, coercive peer behaviour and other forms of psychological harm.

Every child has the right to feel safe, respected and protected at school. If our laws and policies fail to name the harm, they fail to stop it. It is time for NSW Government to lead the way by recognising lateral violence, addressing it properly whilst also supporting schools, to ensure no child is left to suffer in silence.