My daughter is 12 years old, socially awkward and physically a lot bigger than most other girls her age.
She suffers from scoliosis, an often debilitating spinal disorder that means my beautiful girl lives most days, bearing the pain of. Yes this affects her mood. But she battles through day after day.

She loves Harry Potter and has a encyclopaedic knowledge of JK Rowling’s universe. She loves to read fantasy novels, sing at the top of her lungs and write short stories and fan fiction. She love spending time in the kitchen, recreating her favourite dishes just to show her Dad that she is like him and she’s recently taken up archery like many of the heroines in her stories.

She’s the kind of kid who embraces her nerdiness without fear and walks through each day with a positive and optimistic view on life even through the pain coursing through her body.

On Monday 16 September she was attacked - out of the blue. A hand grabbed her by the hair, yanked her down and she received 22 uppercuts to her face, 3 punches to her body and arms before an earth shattering knee to the head knocked her to the ground. All because a kid decided he wanted his big sister to fight the biggest girl in his grade. My daughters attacker is 16 years old.

A 16 year old violently and very deliberately stole a part of my daughter forever.

To make matters worse the whole incident was filmed from start to finish, then shared around on social media by the assailant and her friends.

Can you imagine seeing your child, defenceless and in pain, being punched solidly in the face 22 times? Imagine seeing your baby kneed in the face and collapsing on the ground.

I have seen this. It’s an image my wife, my mother and father, sister, son and I cannot unsee. It is something none of us will ever forget.

I beg you, as a parent, aunt, uncle or friend, a sibling, a decent human being, to demand that regardless of red tape, of PC restriction, that ALL acts of violence be met with FULL and FITTING punishment. This feral and remorseless attacker will receive a slap on the wrists from both the school at which this took place and by the QLD police.

My daughter will never again know the innocence of not knowing what it feels like to be beaten, she will not be able to return to a school community (in which Physical violence is a regular occurrence) without the fear that she is not safe.

Further to this, the principal at Pioneer State High School has said he cannot do anything to keep our children safe.

What if this was your child? Your brother or sister?

Acts of violence against children should meet the harshest punishment, whether perpetrated by adults or minors.  A caution or conference does not deter this criminal behaviour and only causes no resolution for victims or their families.