When 18 year-old Tara-Chande Giles saw the recent videos of young females being bullied by their more aggressive peers she was crestfallen. But rather than retreat in despair, she is intent on speaking out against bullies.

A finalist in the Miss Jamaica Universe competition, she has decided to use her platform to launch a campaign against bullying and violence in school.

“I have first-hand experience with this situation so I know the impact it can cause on your mental health. It can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, even suicide. We have an epidemic of anger and violence in our society, so this is a serious matter,” Giles said.

“We need to tackle this situation in schools and plant seeds of early intervention, so it can help to stop the violence in school and gang violence in later years,” Giles said.

The St Hilda’s past student believes that there is no knee-jerk solution to fix the bullying phenomenon.

“Sometimes the schools themselves are overburdened, administrators themselves cannot do enough, especially when faced with parents who are themselves difficult to deal with. The problem needs a multi-agency effort so I am proposing that the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education team up for an anti-bullying campaign, enlisting celebrities and entertainers,” she proposed.

In Jamaica, bullying is a prevalent problem. The latest data from a study conducted in 2015 shows that: six in 10 Jamaican students say they have been bullied at some point in their lives. Almost 30 per cent of students surveyed fear going to school because of bullying.

“We need some basics, like a helpline where students can call if they feel bullied, and we can ask social media influencers to lend their voices to the campaign,” the model-phlebotomist-entrepreneur said.

During the last few weeks, Giles has made stops at Northgate High School, and Ocho Rios Primary School, both in St Ann to talk about the impact of bullying.

“It is really heartbreaking. It makes me feel really bad. Hurt people hurt people. One of the things I have realised is that some of the bullies are being bullied at home. So this is played out on others in the school. Therefore, some of the bullies are victims as well,” the perky 18 year-old, who is the daughter of reggae artiste Semonie ‘Maroon Queen’ Giles, said.

She is looking forward to finals of the Miss Jamaica Universe contest in July. Until then, she believes that it is better to ‘light a candle than curse the darkness’.

“When you see bullies acting out, don’t take out your phone, take action instead, speak out against it,” she said.