Family and friends of a Canadian teen who hanged herself after she was allegedly raped and then bullied for months were urged at her funeral on Saturday to celebrate her life and draw attention to the circumstances that led to her death.
More than 100 people filled St Mark’s Anglican Church to pay their last respects to 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons, whose family said she was photographed while being sexually assaulted in 2011 by four boys and bullied after the photograph went viral online.
The teen’s death on April 7 has been compared with two other episodes recently in the news — the death of a 15-year-old California girl who took her own life after she was allegedly sexually abused and an explicit photograph of the assault circulated online among her classmates, and a case in Ohio in which two high-school football players were convicted of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl, an incident recorded on cellphones and gossiped about online.
Police had concluded there were no grounds to charge anyone in the Canadian teen’s case after an initial year-long investigation — a finding that raised a public outcry after Parsons’ family shared her story online. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Halifax said on Friday that it would reopen the investigation after receiving new information about the case from a source who is willing to work with them.
The Reverend John Morrell said in his eulogy that social media contributed to Rehtaeh’s depression and death, but said it also allowed her family to share her tragic story around the world.
“It is a time of celebration and thanksgiving of her short life amongst us,” Morrell said. “However, given the worldwide attention to the events leading up to this tragedy, it is appropriate to focus on what happens tomorrow, and the day after, and weeks and years to come. How can our society provide a safe haven for young girls? Why do young men feel that young girls are but objects for their sexual fantasies and pleasure? Why do teenagers avoid seeking help when they are depressed and suicidal?”
The sound of church bells echoed through the busy street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, over the sound of a bagpiper as a mix of mourners from teenagers to politicians filed into the church.
After the service, Angella Parsons, Rehtaeh’s cousin, said that since her death, the support from the community has been overwhelming, calling it “a true testament to the beauty of humanity.”
“We are eternally grateful for the large gathering of friends and strangers that Rae’s story has touched,” Parsons said. “The family has been recipients of random acts of kindness from people who we don’t even know.”
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was