As a mother whose child suffered through a year of torment at a private boys school in Brisbane, I am deeply acquainted with the nightmares that unchecked bullying can unleash. In light of this, I am advocating for Finn Glover, a brave student who exposed a bullying incident far too distasteful to ignore.  Genevieve Dunstan was speaking out on her private instagram account about her boyfriends treatment and too has been expelled. 

Genevieve and Finn's only crime was bringing a glaring injustice to light: schools often unjustly punish victims and whistleblowers, while the perpetrators go scot-free. The consequence Genevieve and Finn have suffered, namely expulsion, mirrors the exact consequence faced by the student who authored the offensive list; this severity of punishment for a victim is ludicrous.

School bullying is a widespread issue not confined to a single school or city, affecting approximately one in four Australian students, stretching from primary through high school. Per the Australian Human Rights Commission, bullying can result in significant emotional, psychological, and academic repercussions for the victim, yet our system punishes these victims instead.

It's time our institutions revisited their punitive measures and started treating whistleblowers and victims with the respect and sensitivity they deserve. We call on the school to reverse Genevieve and Finn's expulsion and establish transparent and fair measures to deal with such incidents in future. Schools should be a safe haven for all scholars, not a battlefield where victims are penalised for speaking up. Please sign this petition to support Genevieve and take a stand against school bullying.