By Pardeep Sahota
Hate and bullying has been a constant in society, and while the landscape has evolved, hate has too. Racism and forms of prejudice have always infected society at some level and historically it has come in many forms – racist rallies and speeches, leaflets handed out on a street corner, individuals adorned with hateful messages on sandwich boards, and even government officials have erred and acted prejudicially through legislation. Today technology pervades every inch of the modern world and there is a more effective and sinister delivery system for hate. It is more harmful, more virulent, and more threatening than anything we have seen in the past – it is the ability to spread hate electronically.
Modern forms of technology like the Internet held promises of a new era for information sharing, education and connectivity. It also came with a dark side as racists and bullies found a useful tool for propagating hatred. Web sites have evolved over time and with new technology have continued to be an effective tool for spreading hatred and reaching a potential audience of millions. Reaching new dimensions, the dissemination of hateful sentiments has taken new life in the form of cyber bullying. Bullies now use technologies like instant messaging, cell phones, texting, and online social networking sites to harass and intimidate their peers.
Cyber bullying has been most prevalent amongst middle and high school aged children. Online activities have provided an opening for bullies to anonymously spread innuendo, falsehoods and slander to dozens, even hundreds, of classmates with the touch of a button or click of a mouse. Cyber bullying does not end with teenagers. With the creation of websites like “thedirty.com”, online bullies are able to anonymously slander individuals, creating a platform for others to join in on the bullying. What cyber bullies and those engaging in online slander do not fully understand is that once something is written or disseminated on the internet, it is there forever. What is written cannot be undone.
We know that cyber bullying can destroy lives and damage reputations. The consequences of cyber bullying and online heckling have been widely reported, and Canada has seen its own share of tragedies. The level of hatred expressed in the virtual world is shocking, and children and teenagers that find themselves victims of repeated harassment in cyberspace have been driven to desperate, even suicidal acts.
The question that remains is how do we effectively address this new form of harassment and ensure another young life is not needlessly lost as an effect of cyber bullying. How do we prevent individuals from using technology to harm others, and how do we ensure that they truly understand the impact of hateful words and bullying. Of course there is no one solution, but there are reliable and effective tools that are at our disposal: education, awareness and advocacy.
In Canada, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) has taken a leadership role by creating an action plan, preparing policy and taking every available opportunity to educate the public, governments, media and education partners about the seriousness of cyber bullying.
We can rise above the statistics and keep our schools and communities safe from online hatred, just as we kept our communities safe from real world hatred. We need to ensure that those who engage in harassment or bullying will face real world consequences for their actions so another life is not lost to this faceless crime.
Impact Of Cyber Bullying On Teens!
10 year old Myles Neuts from Chatham, ON was hung on a coat hook in the washroom of his public school by two bullies, aged 11 and 12. Days later, Neuts parents made the difficult decision of removing him from life support after being told their young son would never wake up.
11 year old Mitchell Wilson from Pickering, ON took his own life after a lifetime of pain. He was 8 when his mother died of cancer, 9 when he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a degenerative and incurable disease that would one day leave him paralyzed. After being jumped and mugged by a 12-year old boy from his elementary school, Mitchell killed himself on what would have been his first day of Grade 6.
Emmet Fralick, a 14-year-old student at St. Agnes School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, shot himself in his bedroom because he was being bullied by classmates. Emmet was regarded as a quiet boy with a reputation for kindness to others.
Hamed Nastoh, 14, jumped off a bridge in Surrey, BC after being bullied at school.
14 year old Dawn-Marie Wesley from Mission, BC committed suicide after experiencing a cycle of bullying by psychological abuse and verbal threats from three female bullies at her high school.
14 year old, Reena Virk, from Saanich, BC was bullied and eventually murdered by six girls from her school.
Greg Doucette, 15, was so tormented about his acne by bullies at Notre Dame Secondary School in Brampton, ON that he hanged himself in the basement of his home.
15 year old Joshua Melo from Strathroy, ON hung himself after months of homophobic bulling at his high school.
15 year old Marjorie Raymond from Ste-Anne-des-Monts, Quebec killed herself, blaming her schoolmates for her psychological and physical distress and bullying that been going on for longer than three years.
15 year old Port Coquitlam resident, Amanda Todd, made a heartbreaking video chronicling years of bullying in school and online, previous suicide attempts and humiliation that lasted up until her death.
16 year old Coltyn Mayrand from Chatham, ON took his own life after facing abuse as school for being transgendered.
Gilles Moreau, 16, from Stony Plain, AB took his own life after being teased at school for being small, wearing glasses and having a learning disability.
Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, died after a suicide attempt that her mother blames on an alleged November 2011 sexual assault and a subsequent barrage of taunts by schoolmates calling her a “slut.”
17 year old Christopher Howell from Hamilton, ON ended his life after being bullied and taunted for having Tourette’s syndrome.
17 year old Nova Scotian, Courtney Brown, took her own life after being bullied online through Facebook, at school, and through text messages.
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