Girl beaten by 7th-grade schoolmates in central Vietnam

The Quang Trung Secondary School in Ninh Hoa Town of the central province announced Tuesday that local police were already investigating the case.

Five days ago, the six girls asked the victim to go to visit a local garden with them.

Once in the secluded spot, the gang threw the girl to the ground and began beating her with motorbike helmets.

While kicking the schoolgirl and ripping off her clothes, the group recorded a video they later posted on social media.

The group included three schoolmates of the victim. One of the perpetrators goes to a different school, and the remaining two have already dropped out of school.

A still from a video posted on social media shows a 7th-grade girl being beaten by other girls in Khanh Hoa Province, May 16, 2024.

After the incident, the schoolgirl received treatment for physical injuries, and mental and emotional distress, at Khanh Hoa General Hospital, according to the victim's mother.

The mother said that she knew her daughter had conflicts with some of her schoolmates.

She added that she had intended to let the incident go, but that was before she saw the video.

She was shocked when she did see the images on social media, which she described as "too brutal."

The mother then demanded that the school and local authorities get involved in the case.

Vietnamese schools' maximum punishment for "bullying" students is a one-year suspension. However, most schools only suspend students for 1-3 weeks.