A Syrian refugee family’s hopes for a better life in Canada were shattered after the death of a nine-year-old girl who died by suicide.
On March 6, Aref Alshteiwi came home to discover the body of his daughter, Amal, in her bedroom.
They are now a family of eight and are still dealing with the sting and shock of the tragedy.
The family came to Canada as government-sponsored refugees three years ago, fleeing war in Syria where they describe bombs being dropped over their home.
But the peace they found in Canada has now being replaced with more trauma. The family said Amal would come home from school distraught and tell them she was being bullied.
“Two weeks before she moved from that school to another school, kids came to her and said, ‘Even if you move to another school they are not going to love you. The kids or the teacher. Wherever you go, you better just go and kill yourself,’” Amal’s mother Nasra Abdulrahman said, also talking through a translator.
Police attended the home on the day Amal died but said there wasn’t enough evidence to launch a criminal investigation into the bullying allegations.
The couple said it raised concerns with the Calgary school their daughter attended but Amal never got the help she needed.
In a statement emailed to Global News, the Calgary Board of Education said it “found there was no indication of bullying nor was any concern raised to the school,” following an investigation.
“The area office has worked closely with the school principal to gather information from teachers, staff and students to try to understand if there were concerns or issues,” the CBE said.
The tragic situation is weighing heavy on the hearts and minds of those who are dedicated to helping newcomers adjust.
There are hundreds of programs available to newcomers in Calgary, including many for children. But only about half of those who are eligible access them or even know they exist, according to a 2017 survey funded by the federal government.
Amal’s parents didn’t reach out to any organization for newcomers to get help for their daughter. Hassan said Immigration Services Calgary is trying to figure out why this little girl fell through the cracks.
“This hits home for us,” Hassan said. “This is the reason we are doing this work. This is the reason why 141 of our employees get up every day and come to our agencies. Our colleagues in the sector are passionate about our work because we want to avoid these situations. Once we get all the facts, we can look and see what we can do to improve this.”
It’s a concern echoed by Sam Nammoura, who works closely with new Syrian Calgarians. He said it is not uncommon for children to complain about being bullied, but never imagined it would lead to one taking her own life.
He said immigrant children face greater barriers when it comes to fitting in due to things like language barriers and adjusting to a new culture.
The family is receiving counselling once a week and holding on to every memory of their sweet Amal.
(Global News Canada)
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