Evidence of meeting #22 for Status of Women in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cyber-violence.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Representative, Rehtaeh Parsons Society, As an Individual
I'd just like to say that as Rehtaeh was going into junior high, I was very well aware of what I needed to teach her as a female to be safe. I went in knowing that she had to know certain things, to be cautious and careful, and to never be alone. I felt that she had her head on straight and she was very cautious herself, so I felt like, “ I'm good”. I had no idea that it didn't matter what I said; she was never safe. She was never safe when she was put in a room and left alone with four males because nobody taught them what sexual consent was.
Even one of the males, after this all happened, reached out to me. He tried to explain to me that he didn't rape Rehtaeh. In his description, he described exactly how he raped Rehtaeh. He clearly was uninformed, and nobody ever taught him what sexual consent actually means. He incriminated himself when he did that, but not knowingly.
It is very important. I think a lot of girls are being told the message, but I don't think the males are getting the message. I don't think people are putting time into the males to explain it to them fully. I see that. I see the brave young boys come up to me after presentations and ask me more questions. It's so brave of them to do that. They want to know.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
That is a great place to end the conversation for today.
Ladies, I really want to thank you. I want to echo what everyone on the committee has said. I'm sure that your girls would be proud to see how you've kept their voices alive and how you're helping us to end this kind of tragedy for other girls.
Go ahead.
Mother and Advocate, Amanda Todd Legacy Society
Leah and I are often met with roadblocks when we are speaking out to schools or organizations only because no one wants to hear the words suicide and mental health. But our daughters' stories go far deeper than that, and there are life lessons to be learned. For us as parents, it's really frustrating when we get a reply back telling us, “Sorry, we can't have you in our school system or at this assembly because you're going to trigger our kids”. We are far beyond wanting to trigger any child.
If a school doesn't have supports in place to help children or young people with stories like that, the kids are hearing them online, in the newspapers, on the radio, and on TV anyway. I have to say that it hurts us deeply when we are told such things.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
We certainly would invite your input. If there's anything you think of or would like to submit, having heard the questions, I would encourage you to submit that, along with the pages you didn't have time for, to the clerk.
Thank you again for coming.
Thank you, committee.
Wednesday for our meeting we will have Cybertip.ca, YMCA Halifax, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and the Canadian Coalition Against Internet Child Exploitation.
We will see you Wednesday.
The meeting is adjourned.
