Human Rights Watch alleges in an explosive report that members of the R.C.M.P. in northern British Columbia failed to protect indigenous women and girls from violence–and physically and sexually abused some of them
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in northern British Columbia has failed to protect indigenous women and girls from violence, adding to longstanding tensions between the RCMP and indigenous communities in the region, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. (more…)
Men and women attending a workshop about gender-based violence emerge with a focus on working together for change
Jackson Katz is a social theorist, educator, anti-sexism activist and a major advocate of the ‘bystander approach’ to gender violence and bullying prevention. Instead of focusing on women as victims and men as perpetrators of harassment, abuse or violence, the bystander approach concentrates on the role of peers in schools, groups, teams, workplaces and other social units. [source: Wikipedia] (more…)
Author and educator Jackson Katz advocates the ‘bystander approach’ to sexual and domestic violence prevention
Jackson Katz is a social theorist, educator, and anti-sexism activist who says that gendered understandings and behaviour are heavily influenced by media and popular culture. Katz is a major advocate of the ‘bystander approach’ to gender violence and bullying prevention. (more…)
Amanda Todd’s death by suicide—after her video disclosing bullying and harassment —creates a media tsunami
The death by suicide of Amanda Todd, who disclosed in a YouTube video the bullying and harassment she had been experiencing, created a tsunami of media attention. Social media—which was directly involved in her suffering—propelled her story to the front pages of local and national newspapers and websites around the world.
Martin Laba, an associate professor at Simon Fraser University specializing in media and pop culture analysis, told the Maple Ridge News he was surprised by the global impact of Todd’s story. “You’d have to have been living in a hole to have not heard about her story,” he said. “It truly went viral, and was particularly driven by social media.” (more…)
Dany Morin, Member of Parliament, asks for a response to bullying and harassment of children and youth in Canada
Calling the bullying of children and youth “a nation-wide problem,” N.D.P. Member of Parliament Dany Morin has been asking Canada’s government to take action on the problem for a year now. He has introduced a motion, which calls for a national strategy to prevent bullying; it was debated in the House of Commons just days after the high-profile death by suicide of Amanda Todd. (more…)
Chaplain Diane Weber Bederman says Amanda Todd’s death was more about mental health than bullying
In the aftermath of the death by suicide of Amanda Todd, an avalanche of news reports, opinion articles, and social media postings focused on harassment, bullying, violence, and the problems these behaviours pose for individuals and society. Media reports about Amanda Todd’s experiences and state of mind acknowledged that she had described anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. But her death was portrayed as being directly caused by the experience of being bullied. (more…)
