Emirati Girl Hospitalised After Being Tormented on Reality Show
The prepubescent suffered a collapse after being the victim of relentless bullying.
Marking a rare incident involving UAE Reality TV, a school girl wound up in hospital after being subjected to vicious waves of verbal attacks. 11-year-old Maryam Al Shehhi participated in a drawing and design competition which was conducted by a global fashion company that turned out to be an ugly ordeal for the child and her family. According to her aunt – Aysha Al Shehhi – Maryam was singled out for nasty comments and harsh criticism during the event, which was shot between August 6th and 11th, 2024 and aired about a month later.
Known to be a bright, courteous, competitive and loquacious student, Maryam was delighted to be invited for the show. But her alacrity turned to despair when the programme’s crew began firing questions suggesting her ouster on the basis of her incompetence. What’s more, Maryam was placed alone in one room while the rest of the participants were ushered into another enclosure. To make matters worse, the grade-schooler was subjected to further mockery and humiliation both back in school and on social media. Even several parents joined the ruthless bandwagon.
The mental torment was so overwhelming for Maryam that it led to a physiological breakdown, landing the juvenile diabetic in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a local hospital. Aysha confirmed that her niece’s sugar levels and blood acidity surged, leaving the family with no option but for medical recourse. Maryam even lost 5 kilos during her week-long hospitalisation. The responsible fashion firm has since issued an official apology for allowing its show to get out of hand, while Maryam’s school has called for restraint by all the taunting parties.
Furthermore, the school’s management has allowed Maryam to avail of distance learning till she fully recovers. Meanwhile, UAE’s Child Safety Department has encouraged parents to be more cautious at assessing their children’s abilities before committing them to televised competitions, while also monitoring their use of social media platforms. One hopes that Maryam’s traumatic experience will serve as a precedent against such destructive occurrences and be geared towards protecting the young and vulnerable.
