Rehtaeh Parsons Rape Case: Why Do These Keep Happening?
On Monday, after the suicide of her 17-year-old daughter, Rehtaeh, Leah Parsons, from a suburb of Halifax, posted a wrenching note on a Facebook memorial page.* Some of the details will be familiar from the recent rape case in Stuebenville, Ohio: a few boys apparently out of control, a girl who said she was raped and who was humiliated in pictures that spread around the community. In this case two outcomes differed than from Steubenville: the suicide, and before that, the authorities’ decision not to prosecute. Why didn’t they?
Here is the mother’s post, which tells much of her story:
“The Person Rehtaeh once was all changed one dreaded night in November 2011. She went with a friend to another’s home. In that home she was raped by four young boys…one of those boys took a photo of her being raped and decided it would be fun to distribute the photo to everyone in Rehtaeh’s school and community where it quickly went viral. Because the boys already had a ‘slut’ story, the victim of the rape Rehtaeh was considered a SLUT. This day changed the lives of our family forever. I stopped working that very day and we have all been on this journey of emotional turmoil ever since.
“Rehtaeh was suddenly shunned by almost everyone she knew, the harassment was so bad she had to move out of her own community to try to start anew in Halifax. She struggled emotionally with depression and anger .Her thoughts of suicide began and fearing for her life, she placed herself in a hospital in an attempt to get help. She stayed there for almost 6weeks. The bullying continued, her friends were not supportive. She needed a friend and eventually along the way a few new friends came along and a few old friends came forward.”
The police investigated Rehtaeh’s allegations of rape and the circulation of the photo. But no charges were brought against anyone involved. The police say there was not enough evidence. Leah Parsons’ story about her daughter has gone viral, with a radio interview (it will make you weep), media coverage, and a petition with thousands of signatures calling for an inquiry into the police investigation.The Canadian police won’t disclose details about the investigation. Instead Cpl. Scott McRae said this week, “We have to deal in facts and not rumors. We may not be able to go down certain roads because of the tragic circumstance.” Nova Scotia Justice Minister Ross Landry defended the decision not to prosecute Tuesday, saying “If the evidence isn’t in place, we can’t second-guess every investigation.” (Hours later, Landry shifted, saying he’d asked for “options” from prosecutors, which could mean they are leaving the door open to prosecute one or more of the boys. We’ll see.)
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