Demand an independent inquiry into the police decision not to lay charges in her rape.
by Sherri B, Halifax
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.
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. Do we not have laws that cover abuse like photo-sharing and 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.
Click here to go to Change.org and sign the letter below, as more than 85,000 readers have already done.
To:
NS Justice Minister Ross Landry
We're demanding and independent inquiry in the police investigation.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
One Response to “Justice for Rehtaeh”
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Like thousands of others, I am deeply concerned that a prosecutiion against alleged rapists was not deemed feasible by those who had the authority to set a prosecution in motion. But I am also concerned by the rush to assume that that the "alleged rape" actually took place. Don't get me wrong; I'm not one of these "blame the victim" types, but nowhere have I seen statements that indicate this young woman was examined by medical personnel (to verify that intercourse had taken place, and to look for signs of forcible intercourse) or statements that indicate this young woman (or someone on her behalf) reported the rape in a timely manner, so that useful evidence could be obtained. The stated inability of the police and the prosecution office to lay charges indicates to me not so much reluctance or a lack of concern, but an all-too-common inability to lay charges when there is no evidence to indicate a crime took place. The circulation of a photograph and the subsequent bullying are another matter. Like thousands of others, I trust that more attention will be given to the problem of young people acting without thought, without empathy, and without much concern for consequences. I have seen the way young teens treat each other and even their teachers, and it is deeply disturbing.