The family of a young Aboriginal girl have paid tribute to her after she took her own life as a result of abuse that she was receiving. Rochelle Pryor, 14, is one of a group of Aboriginal girls to kill themselves in two weeks. She died on January 10 nine days after her father found her unconscious in her bedroom. Rochelle wrote on social media: ‘Once I’m gone, the bullying and the racism will stop.’ Just one friend responded to the post.
Her sister Kyanne, 17, said that she was a ‘sweet, happy and funny’ girl but was worried about bullies and friends who had turned on her. Kyanne told local media: ‘She was really upset by it. There was racism involved – a lot of the time it was just random people who don’t realise what they’re saying.’ Her mother revealed that she didn’t want to go to school after being involved in an altercation. However, following her death fellow pupils have paid tribute to her. One wrote on Instagram: ‘My vision is so blurry from my tears … come back please.
‘The last day we were talking about what colour you should dye your hair and you were thinking about… blue or purple. ‘If I knew that was your last day, I would do anything to stop you. I remember telling you whenever you weren’t in the right mindset I would repeat telling you “I’m always here for you”.’ The suicides of Aboriginal children started on January 3 when a girl, 15, died in hospital in Queensland after being admitted for self-harming.