Bullying in schools deprives a huge number of children of their right to education. Sadly, this form of violence is way more common than people assume and schools are sometimes unable to prevent it from taking place.

Unfortunately, the consequences of bullying are long-lasting and affect the victim’s self-esteem.

William Gierke, 9, wanted to contribute to the raise of awareness of breast cancer by buying a pink T-shirt with the words Tough Guys Wear Pink written on it.

He felt proud and couldn’t wait to wear the T-shirt to school not assuming that his classmates would make fun of him.

When they saw him wearing pink, they started calling him names such as “sissy.”

William felt heartbroken and went home crying. When his mom realized that he was bullied because of the color of his outfit, she was mad. Seeing her son chocking in tears didn’t feel right. He was so hurt that he didn’t even want to go to school the following day.