Mariano Janin, the father of 14-year-old Mia Janin who took her own life in March 2021, has called for cyber-bullying to be made a specific crime in the UK. Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he said new laws were needed to protect children from online harassment. Mia was found dead at her home in Harrow, London, a day after returning to school following the lifting of Covid lockdown restrictions.
After her death, Mia's parents discovered she had been bullied by a group of male students on social media and in person. In a voice note sent to a friend the night before she died, Mia said: 'Tomorrow's going to be a rough day, I'm taking deep breaths in and out. I'm currently mentally preparing myself to get bullied tomorrow.' There is no specific law on bullying or cyber-bullying in the UK; courts rely on legislation around harassment and malicious communications.
Mr Janin said: 'I think we need to do something against bullying. We need to revise the existing legislation about bullying, try to understand and try to act, do something.' He also called for bereaved parents to have more access to their children's social media accounts to aid investigations. He welcomed the Online Safety Bill, which became law in October 2023, as a 'first step' but stressed the need for cultural change, saying: 'We need to transmit to our kids values, normal values, kindness, acceptance, understanding.'
Four months after Mia's death, her mother Marisa died from an aneurysm and leukaemia. Mr Janin said he had 'serious concerns' about how the school handled the bullying investigation. A spokesperson for Jewish Free School (JFS) said all information was handed to the police and the school had given open access to its systems. The coroner for North London issued a report urging JFS to take further action on bullying, particularly targeting of female pupils by males. Mr Janin said: 'The school, indeed all schools, need to take their responsibilities towards our children much more seriously. One death is a death too much.'
