The girl, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, has expressed her sadness over her constant bullying.

She’s been called a freak and a weirdo, told to kill herself and pushed to the ground.

Other students, she says, film themselves throwing things at her and threaten to upload the footage to the internet, while one boy follows her around calling out sexual insults and spreading cruel rumours. It’s made her life “hell”.

The 13-year-old, a student in small-town central Queensland, has hit out at teachers and the education department for not doing more to stop the bullying and has gone public in a desperate bid for help.

A change.org petition launched by the girl and her mother Kali has so far received more than 40,000 signatures.

This is an open letter to her from senior reporter Matt Young.

*****

Dear ––––––,

You’re story filled me with such emotion, I felt compelled to write to you, to let you know that everything will be OK despite the fact right now you probably don’t believe it.

I remember being in your position. They are memories I’ve tried to wipe away after all these years but when I channel my mind back to my time in high school, those dark days bubble back towards the surface.

I was the school “fag” back then and by the time I graduated in 2003, when I was just 17, my confidence was crushed to the point of no return (or so I thought). By that stage I had been bullied since the age of 12, it was a long, long five years of emotional torture.

I was such a wreck. Looking back, I want to cry for my younger self, for what I went through. Unless you’ve been through it yourself, no one can quite describe the feeling, the crushing blow as your self-esteem dissipates into nothing. As your self-respect dwindles, as your mind enters the battle between light and dark. For your curiosity, this is me just after I’d graduated Year 12.

At this stage I was a bit of a mess.Source:Supplied

I wasn’t bullied by a single person or the cool group, I was bullied by my entire school. Students from other grades joined the party, like what’s happening to you right now. I had a reputation, and it wasn’t the good kind.

I didn’t live in a rural area like you, but I lived in a middle class suburb of Sydney with white picket fences and solid Christian values. At the time I represented everything that was wrong with the world. I was different. I didn’t fit the mould. I was effeminate. I was skinny. I didn’t play sport. I lived up to every gay cliche in the book.

In their eyes I was the easy target. I was the awkward kid who had sausage rolls or custard tarts thrown at them, who couldn’t turn a corner without being physically or verbally abused. For the most part, I wasn’t touched, because I was infected. And the kids were quick to let me know this.

It was a really, really tough time for me. During these years I was figuring out my identity while dealing with this constant abuse.

Teachers used to bully me, too. My science teacher used to single me out in class and isolate me from the boys, in particular. He thought he was doing me a favour by telling me to speak in a lower voice or to act a certain way, but he was only making it worse.

Kids used to laugh in my face. In the playground they would deliberately move away from me. They would run away from me, snigger behind my back and threaten me with all kinds of violence. I was a terrified teenager. I would wake up dreading the day.

My coping mechanism was to shut down and avoid eye contact. I wanted to disappear. I wished I could fit in, that I could be like the other boys. I was desperate to be normal. I didn’t talk to my parents about it, I told my friends to ignore it. I didn’t want to be the centre of attention.

I wasn’t brave enough to stand up to them. I remember being in senior year and even when a classmate in a younger year began to follow me around, I downplayed the effect it had on me. He would follow me at school, follow me home, yell out insults at me. It was like I couldn’t escape.

Whenever the bullying was brought up, I was so embarrassed I didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted it to go away. I wanted to go away. I became such an emotional zombie it was like my soul had been sucked away. I was a shell.

This is the reality of intense school bullying and it breaks my heart that you’re going through it too.

But please believe me when I tell you, it gets better. It really does. You’re already on the right path.

I’m in awe of your bravery, for standing up to the kids and your school, because I wasn’t brave enough to do that. I didn’t have the courage that you have at 13.

These days, I’m a successful writer, I’ve lived in New York as part of my work, I’ve travelled the world — and I’m happy. While I will never forget the pain, I’ve been able to move on.

I remember feeling trapped, but you don’t need to be.

I’m behind you. The country is behind you.

Love, Matt.

Share your story — matt.young2@news.com.au