Father shares message of ‘strength’ in wake of Sydney schoolgirl’s sudden death after bullying
The family of 12-year-old Felesha Jasper, from western Sydney, have paid tribute to her as a talented rugby player after she died by suicide on 28 August following reported bullying. Prominent Muslim undertaker Ahmad Hraichie, who helped arrange her funeral, has called for greater efforts to protect children from bullying, while sharing advice from Felesha's father: "Be strong." The case has drawn wider attention to the issue of bullying among children in Australia, particularly as it followed shortly before another bullying-related death of a Sydney teenager.
Felesha, who had Māori heritage, was honoured with a traditional haka at her funeral, held at a mosque, and later remembered with a minute's silence by her teammates at Merrylands Junior Rugby Club, where she had played since the age of three. Tributes have described her as a devoted member of the rugby community, and a GoFundMe campaign for her parents has raised more than $31,000 to cover funeral costs. Her death came just days before 15-year-old Aziz Passayanavin, also from Sydney, died by suicide on 6 September after reportedly experiencing bullying; he was buried on 10 September.
- Sydney schoolgirl Felesha Jasper, 12, died by suicide after alleged bullying
- Rugby community and family paid tribute; GoFundMe raised over $31,000
- Death preceded another Sydney teen bullying-related suicide days later
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Felesha Jasper was a 12-year-old girl from western Sydney who died on 28 August, with her family saying she had been bullied beforehand. She was known locally as a keen rugby player, having competed for Merrylands Junior Rugby Club since she was three, and her Māori heritage was marked at her funeral with a traditional haka.
Her death has been linked in public discussion to a broader concern about bullying of children in Australian schools, a topic that periodically resurfaces after such tragedies and prompts calls for stronger protections. Ahmad Hraichie, a well-known Muslim undertaker who assisted with her funeral arrangements, has become a public voice in the aftermath, relaying a message from Felesha's father urging strength and calling for more to be done to safeguard children.
The case has taken on wider significance because it occurred only days before the death of 15-year-old Aziz Passayanavin, another Sydney teenager who also reportedly experienced bullying. The proximity of the two deaths has intensified public and media attention on youth bullying as an issue, though the specific circumstances of each case remain separate.