Bullying victim's plea to prime minister

Joanne Geldart took her campaign to the top

A bullied schoolgirl has taken her appeal for an English children's commissioner direct to her local MP - the Prime Minister.

Joanne Geldart, 14, from Ferryhill, County Durham, has endured name-calling, punching and kicking at the hands of bullies for 10 years.

Now she wants the prime minister to introduce a "children's champion" to stand up for innocent victims of bullies.

She visited Downing Street to hand over a letter demanding action after Tony Blair turned down a request to meet her in his Sedgefield constituency.

Street insults

Joanne has endured taunts and physical abuse about her weight and a natural white streak in her blonde hair.

Her mother, Ann, said Joanne had become suicidal after years of torment, which began when her daughter started school at the age of four.

The teenager said: "I have been bullied that long I do not remember what it is like to walk down the street without kids calling me hurtful names or insulting me.

"Children's commissioners have the power to speak up for children who need someone there they can talk to about their problems.

"They also need counsellors in all schools. Some schools do tackle bullying but some don't have the right kind of people for children to talk to.

For the past 10 years I have been bullied, I have been called names, beaten-up, kicked and had my clothes torn

Joanne Geldart

"They can't just talk to a teacher who may not have the right qualifications for the talking and listening."

Joanne attracted national attention in June when she made public a diary she had kept about the bullying she suffered.

She said: "For the past 10 years I have been bullied, I have been called names, beaten-up, kicked and had my clothes torn.

"I just got sickened and decided I'd campaign with my mum and the NSPCC for a children's commissioner."

Joanne is working with staff at her school, Ferryhill Comprehensive, to help her through her problems.

Education ruined

In her letter to the prime minister Joanne has written: "You say you are doing lots of things for education. But children who are bullied or have other problems are having their education ruined.

"You don't want to go to school if you are being punched or kicked or called horrible names.

"The best thing you could do for education in England would be to create a children's commissioner who can try to make things better for bullied children and children who have other concerns."

Nearly half of children experience bullying at some point and one in 12 suffer sustained attacks, according to the charity NSPCC.

Earlier this year the charity launched an internet-based campaign designed to raise the profile of child cruetly, fronted by actress Emily Watson.

Wales already has a children's commissioner and Scotland and Northern Ireland are moving ahead with plans for similar posts.

The NSPCC said it was concerned that English schoolchildren could be left with less protection than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK.

A spokesman for the charity said: "We hope the government listens carefully to Joanne and other children who care so passionately about this issue."