Distraught nine-year-old Syrian refugee commits suicide in Canada following bullying

A nine-year-old Syrian refugee committed suicide last month after bullies at her Calgary school told her to take her life, media reported on Sunday.

Amal Alshteiwi's body was discovered by her father in early March, who said his daughter would could home from school distraught in the weeks prior to her death.

"Two weeks before she moved from that school to another school, kids came to her and said, 'Even if you move to another school they are not going to love you. The kids or the teacher. Wherever you go, you better just go and kill yourself,'" Amal's mother Nasra Abdulrahman said.

The parents of nine, including the now deceased girl, said they had filed complaints of bullying at her school but saw little action. 

The Calgary Board of Education said it "found there was no indication of bullying nor was any concern raised to the school", following an investigation into the incident.

"The area office has worked closely with the school principal to gather information from teachers, staff and students to try to understand if there were concerns or issues," the CBE added.

Police also said there wasn't enough evidence to launch a criminal investigation into the allegations of bullying, despite the family's testimony.

The family fled the war in Syria and arrived in Canada as government-sponsored refugees three years ago. 

Canada has resettled more than 40,000 Syrian refugees since November 2015 through government sponsorship, and the support of private sponsorship groups such as churches, synagogues and mosques.

More than 350 communities across the country are now home to Syrian newcomers.

Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab