Lotus Tower death a victim of psychological and emotional bullying

The girl who died at the Lotus Tower building in Colombo was a victim of psychological and emotional bullying, her parents said in a statement.

Issuing a statement to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Radhya Gunasekera’s parents said that soon after her death it was troubling that some media outlets and online sources disclosed her name and personal information contrary to established media ethics and protocols regarding coverage of such incidents involving minors.

Statement:

Statement on misinformation over circumstances in which the demise of Radhya Gunasekera occurred

We, the parents of the late Radhya Gunasekera, remain devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved teenage daughter on October 7, 2024, at the Lotus Tower building in Colombo.

Even as we grapple to come to terms with our loss and are engulfed by grief as her family who doted on her, we are compelled to address misinformation that has been published in order to set the record straight and protect our daughter’s good name.

We were most distressed and perturbed at the extensive surmise regarding the circumstances of her demise, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. It is particularly troubling that some media outlets and online sources disclosed her name and personal information contrary to established media ethics and protocols regarding coverage of such incidents involving minors. They have also distorted and critiqued various aspects of her life, including speculation as to her mental health and family dynamics.

It is important to clarify that while issues such as gaming, parental pressure, bullying, and substance abuse are relevant topics in the context of child protection, stereotypical conclusions published with reference to our daughter were completely unwarranted, unfair, false and derogatory.

Radhya had come to be overwhelmed by a sense of great loss in the aftermath of two of her very close friends tragically falling to their deaths from the Altair building in Colombo. In the circumstances, we sought professional assistance which proved beneficial and she was certified as on the path to recovery.

Unfortunately, while she was healing, a damaging rumour was circulated (by some teachers and parents of her school), claiming falsely that she knew the location of her friends on the day of their demise, and that by not sharing that information, she had caused the tragedy of their deaths. One parent, in particular, had claimed to have received this “information” from the “investigating authorities” and gone so far as to suggest that our daughter should be “prosecuted.” This individual urged other parents to distance their children from Radhya, causing her significant distress.

In fact, under parental pressure, she had needlessly been deprived of some of her remaining friends due to these vicious rumours. Radhya was deeply affected and felt isolated by this.

When Radhya finally confided in us about these matters, we reached out to several parents who knew us and our daughter well and did not withdraw their children from their friendship with her. We bless those parents and children with all our heart for what they were to Radhya in her final few days in this life.

The evident sad reality is, that our daughter was eventually a victim of psychological and emotional bullying tantamounting to abuse, by certain parents, and most disturbingly, some school teachers responsible for her welfare. When we attempted to transfer her to another school for her protection, she insisted that it was all a misunderstanding and that the situation would resolve itself soon.

Radhya was a kindhearted, empathetic, good-natured child, who on her own (and without any prompting from us) felt the need to do such things as feeding homeless people near Viharamahadevi Park every Saturday, caring for stray animals and showing love and affection to all who were blessed to know her.

However, as did transpire from her death, the hurt, harm and wrongful guilt-infusion into her young, vulnerable mind by the aforementioned adult bullies, was more than she could bear, and despite her best efforts to be resilient, she fell a victim.

We do not want any other child in Radhya’s school or elsewhere to face a similar predicament. It is our hope that this clarificatory statement helps make for better awareness of the heinous harm inflicted on children by false speculation and gossip of irresponsible, uncaring adults and makes for positive preventive actions.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Principal of Radhya’s school, for her unwavering support in our efforts to safeguard our daughter.

We also thank Radhya’s friends and schoolmates who wrote touching tributes to her, cherishing her precious life and ways. It has been a great comfort to us, in our time of grief.

Finally, we express our sincere appreciation of all those who have reached out to us with love, care and compassion during this profoundly difficult time. Radhya’s untimely passing has created an irreplaceable void in our hearts.

We request respect for our privacy and our late daughter’s good name (including from the media) at this time, as we continue to grieve as a family.

Parents of Radhya Gunasekera