SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The mother of an 11-year-old boy said parents need to be more aware of bullying when it comes to their children after her son was attacked Friday night.

Nicholas Wilke sports a black eye inflicted by an older youth Nov. 6. - Nikolett Popovics/NNSL photo

Phyllis Wilke said her son, Nicholas, was walking with two other friends when what appeared to be two teenage boys attacked him. She said the two boys punched him, tripped him and began kicking Nicholas in the back.

"Nicholas was on the ground, covering his face," Wilke said.

According to Wilke, his two friends helped him up and began to run, while the two older boys began running after them and beating him again. An older teenager walking by saw the incident and the two attackers fled the scene after he intervened. She believes this was not an isolated incident because she said the two boys have a history of bullying her son, as well as other kids. Nicholas' father, Leslie Wilke, called RCMP after his son got home, but was told that no charges can be laid because the attackers were too young.

"They said they would look into a liaison officer for anti-bullying at the school," Leslie said.

RCMP Const. Kathy Law said while no formal charges can be laid, police are doing their best to promote anti-bullying in schools.

"Having an officer present at the school can make a huge difference," Law said.

Some anti-bullying programs include having an officer present at the high schools on alternating days, as well as having a liaison officer present at all schools to keep lines of communication open.

"Youth is a priority for us and we do take this seriously," Law said, adding that the RCMP tries to encourage talking to parents and to have the problem resolved between themselves.

Nicholas suffered a black eye and bruised back from the attack. No medical attention was given to the boy, as he said that he didn't feel he needed it. The mother said she will not be pursuing any charges on the boys who attacked her son. Instead, she hopes this experience can teach the community a lesson about paying more attention to their kids.

"I wish there was more for kids to do, like more after school programs," said Phyllis Wilke.

Nicholas said he wanted to thank the teenager who stopped the beating.