This brutal video will strike a chord with anyone who was ever bullied at school

A BRUTAL but heartbreaking video of a young girl being slapped in the face by her classmates will strike a chord with anyone who was ever bullied at school.

The footage shows the girl – who appears to be no more than 13 years old – being surrounded and attacked by a number of her schoolmates.

While the exact reason behind the bullying was not reported, the victim can be seen being slapped, pushed, and kicked by numerous girls, some of whom were wearing rollerblades. The schoolgirl is tossed around as she is kicked in the midriff while rolling on the ground, with witnesses – including the recorder of the video – remaining silent throughout and refusing to intervene.

The video, reportedly shot at the end of March, wound up in the hands of police in Yulin, China, who immediately launched an investigation into the case and have already found the culprits.

The bullies are reportedly from Yuanzhu Junior High School, where the victim also studies.

The attackers and their parents are expected to be punished as a consequence of the extreme violent conduct, the likes of which has made national and international headlines in recent years for its frequency and increasing brutal nature.

HEARTLESS: The girl is attacked by another one of her classmates

DEFENCELESS: The young girl is kicked to the floor

Yuan Guiren, China’s Minister of Education, said at recent meetings, that the individual bullying incidents point to a wider problem amongst the rural youth in China.

Yuan noted that "student safety" is the government’s most important issue, while other education officials have called for stronger censorship of so-called "harmful material", which may include television programmes, movies, as well as games and internet websites that have been deemed too violent for younger audiences.

A rating system for graphic pictures and videos has been proposed to enforce the potential new policy.

BULLIES: The young girl recoils as one of her classmates slaps her around the face