Justice for Rehtaeh: Demand an independent inquiry into the police investigation.
After the recent high profile rape cases in Ohio, Connecticut, and around the world, please take the time to read this and sign the Petition.
Justice for Rehtaeh: Demand an independent inquiry into the police investigation.
I am horrified at what happened to Rehtaeh. She was a beautiful, caring person. She was a amazing artist. She loved animals.
While I haven’t seen her in a few years, I’m friends with her family and I can’t believe how our community and the authorities failed to protect her.
Seventeen months ago, she was raped. The rape was photographed and the photos were shared around her Nova Scotia community. Rehtaeh was destroyed by this. Any 15 year old would be. She was called a slut. She was bullied. She faced depression. And this week she took her own life.
After Rehtaeh’s rape, the RCMP investigated for a year but said there was not enough evidence to lay charges.
How is this possible? Everyone knows what happened. Everyone knows about the photos. Everyone knows she was 15 when those photos were taken. Everyone saw her being bullied and shamed at school. How can police say they didn’t have the evidence they needed to pursue charges? Do we not have laws that cover this kind of abuse, from photo-sharing to cyberbullying?
Nova Scotia’s Justice Minister Ross Landry must call an independent inquiry into this situation. The Minister must find out if the police ran this investigation properly and determine if there is important evidence that was not taken into account when they decided to close this case.
The Minister said he would not order a review of the of the RCMP investigation. Hours later, following the huge outpouring of concern from the community, he has said he is now open to considering what options are available. The Minister must call for an independent inquiry and we must all sign this petition to make sure he knows how important this is.