Devastated father invites bullies to his daughter's funeral

Trigger warning: This post deals with the topic of suicide.

Tick Everett, the father of Australian child model Dolly Everett shared an emotional Facebook post, in the wake of his 14-year-old daughter’s death by suicide.

“This week has been an example of how social media should be used, it has also been an example of how it shouldn't be,” he writes.

Dolly was the victim of online bullying and harassment before her death. Since it made international news, there has been an outpouring of messages of support for her family on Facebook from as far afield as Italy, Mexico, Canada and Cambodia.

Given that it was also on social media that Dolly received abusive messages, her father’s wish is that those who tormented his daughter from behind screens could see, in real life, the painful consequences of their actions.

“If by some chance the people who thought this was a joke and made themselves feel superior by the constant bullying and harassment see this post, please come to our service and witness the complete devastation you have created,” he wrote.

Tick also called on all of us to be vigilant about bullying and to act as allies. “Let’s stop the bullies, no matter where, but especially in our kids,” he wrote.

Read more: Do you know what your tween is doing online? Cyberbullying: Did this mom take things too far?