By Ruth Suter

Copyright dailyrecord

A schoolgirl was brutally battered by a gang of boys after enduring years of torment in classrooms at the hands of cruel bullies. The teenager, who was 13 at the time of the attack, was set upon by a group of 15 male youths outside Inveralmond High School in Livingston in April 2022. The youngster was beaten black and blue after being dragged to the ground and kicked on her face and body in a sickening attack . The girl’s mum, Susan, who was forced to move her daughter to another school, has shared her horrific ordeal as part of the Record’s youth violence campaign, Our Kids … Our Future . The 51-year-old told the Record: “The bullying was constant – it started with name calling, fat shaming and having things thrown at her all the time. “They would pour juice over her in the corridor and kick her under tables in class. It went unchecked for so long it bled into violence .” Her daughter had been waiting at a bus stop outside of the school when she was targeted . “A group of girls were calling her names and then around 15 boys began pushing her around,” Susan said. “One boy rugby tackled her to the ground and they all started kicking her while she was defenceless on the ground. “She was left black and blue. There were bruises on her hands and her left cheek was completely black. “She had been so brave going to school facing her bullies . “The attack broke her.” Susan warned that acts of misogyny and violence towards female pupils from boys has taken the youth violence epidemic to a “new level”. She added: “We hear of girl on girl fights and boy on boy. “There is a culture problem in schools and in society when young boys start battering girls. “This level of misogyny takes the epidemic of youth violence to a whole new meaning. It is sinister and deep-rooted.” Earlier this year we told how toxic masculinity is on the rise among young men in Scotland. Support workers told us that worrying themes of misogyny and violence in the harrowing Netflix drama Adolescence are playing out in real-life as disaffected teenage boys become sucked into the dark world of social media. Speaking to the Record at the time , Colin MacFarlane, National Programme Director at YMCA, said: “At the moment, young men are seen as the ‘big bad’. They are the perpetrators of crime but nobody talks about the fact that they are also victims of those crimes. They’re often young men choosing to disengage with education and society. “We need to provide a counter-narrative to that and not wait until a young man gets involved in crime or misogyny to intervene. Wholeheartedly, there should be investment in youth work to allow young males to be guided and mentored. “The closure and de-investment of community centres has really challenged where they find their support .” The Record has repeatedly called for Scottish Government intervention to tackle rising violence in children. Our Kids … Our Future was launched nearly three years ago after we highlighted a worrying trend of attacks on teens in schools and in public places. Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “There is a misogyny epidemic in Scotland and it is deeply worrying that these attitudes are taking hold in our schools . “This shocking case shows girls are being let down by a system that doesn’t properly protect them.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is clear that any incident of bullying , violence or misogyny in schools is completely unacceptable. “Last year, we updated national anti-bullying guidance to support schools working with children and young people to create comprehensive anti-bullying measures and improve behaviour and relationships. It makes clear that all incidents of bullying must be recorded.” A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “All our schools take any allegations of bullying seriously, with staff working to provide a safe and supportive environment for every pupil.”