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Calls for B.C. to deal with homophobia, transphobia in schools

February 24th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Advocates challenge the government to move farther in the attempt to protect young people from bullying violence

The West Coast Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund is calling on the British Columbia government to implement a province-wide anti-bullying policy that specifically addresses homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools. Research has found that gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer kids experience bullying at a much higher rate than other students. Two thirds of LGBTQ students report that they feel unsafe at school and more than 1 in 5 are physically assaulted or harassed due to their sexual orientation. Suicide rates are also high among LGBTQ students. (more…)

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Bible school child abuse alleged

November 24th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Bible school child abuse alleged)

Linda Fossen says that she, and over eighty other children, suffered extreme abuse at Canada’s oldest Bible school

Linda Fossen, a former student at the Prairie Bible Institute near Three Hills, Alberta, has alleged that she and dozens of other children were abused by PBI staff from the 1950s to as recently as five years ago. The explosive claim made headlines in Canada and abroad.

Linda first wrote about her experiences of abuse and recovery in a book called “Out of the Miry Clay” in 2008 and she shares her past and present experiences online. She reports that the victims of the abuses are too terrified to speak out about them. Linda also writes that some of the people who support the Bible college have lashed out against her, praying against her as a so-called “enemy of God”. Linda has established an on-line petition related to the allegations. (more…)

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A world without hate

August 4th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A world without hate)

Rais Bhuiyan forgave the man who tried to kill him in a hate crime, then campaigned to save him from the death penalty

Ten days after the September 11th attacks in the U.S., Texan Mark Stroman entered the gas station where Rais Bhuiyan was working, asked “Where are you from?” and then shot him in the face.  Rais, who is from Bangladesh, was one of three victims shot during Stroman’s revenge attacks on “Arabs,” and the only one to survive.

Rais Bhuiyan went on to forgive Mark Stroman for trying to kill him, and to campaign vigorously—and internationally—for Stroman’s sentence to be commuted from death, to life without parole. Mark Stroman was executed in Texas on July 20th, 2011. (more…)

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Homophobia is rampant in schools

June 2nd, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Homophobia is rampant in schools)

Verbal, physical, and sexual harassment is reported by gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and queer school students

The terms “homophobia” and “transphobia” signify a great deal of unnecessary misery in the lives of Canadian students. Knowledge of their distress and a determination to bring it to the consciousness of educators and parents motivated members of the Education Committee of Egale Canada to conduct a ‘climate survey’ of Canadian schools. University of Winnipeg professor Catherine Taylor launched the survey in December 2007, eventually collecting information from over 3,700 students across Canada. (more…)

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Spotlight is on Nanaimo bullying

April 7th, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Spotlight is on Nanaimo bullying)

A violent incident in Nanaimo has refocused attention on bullying, schools, parents and social media

A Nanaimo woman has established a Facebook page called Bullying Awareness in Nanaimo in the aftermath of a high-profile incident involving teenaged girls that found its way onto YouTube and is now the focus of a police investigation.

Several teens assaulted a Nanaimo girl while more than a dozen others watched and videotaped the attack. The assault took place over spring break in the parking lot at Woodgrove Centre. Criminologists and police say the incident is part of a bigger issue related to social media and how it has been used to glamorize fighting. Kristyn Robert, who herself was bullied while attending a Nanaimo school, says that “enough is enough.” She hopes to start a campaign to stop bullying through the involvement of local schools. (more…)

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Elder abuse more common than you think

March 31st, 2011 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Elder abuse more common than you think)

U.S. disclosure and a shocking Ontario abuse case bring new attention to a disturbingly common problem

Recent high-profile cases of elder abuse have brought public attention to a problem that advocates say is disturbingly common—and under-reported.

Mickey Rooney, a 90-year-old actor, testified earlier this month before a committee of the U.S. Senate that he had been a victim of abuse at the hands of his own family. Rooney has accused his stepson of intimidating and bullying him, blocking access to his mail, and depriving him of medications and food. (more…)

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