What Canadians Can Do to Stop the Hurt

Canadian Teens Speak Out on Bullying and Gender-based Violence in Schools

TORONTO, April 18, 2013 /CNW/ - In a new video released by Plan Canada, Speaking Out on Bullying, Toronto students discuss ways to prevent bullying and gender-based violence in their schools.

The release of the online video comes on the heels of yet another suicidal death by a Canadian teen following her struggle with the pain and emotional turmoil of an alleged sexual assault and being bullied both online and at school. In the video, students share their personal experiences with bullying and express their views on what it will take to make a difference and to stop the harm they and their peers have experienced.

A recent joint report by Plan Canada and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, A Girl's Right to Learn Without Fear, finds that school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) is a major factor threatening the education of children, especially girls, in many countries of the world, including Canada.

Specifically, the report finds that:

• In Canada, nearly a quarter of Canadian girls, and at least 15 per cent of boys, have experienced sexual violence before they reach 16.
• Many Canadian children, particularly girls from marginalized communities, continue to be vulnerable to different forms of violence within their school lives.
• Almost two-thirds of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) students feel unsafe at school and many LGBTQ students, and other students who don't fit gendered norms, are suffering from frequent incidents of verbal, physical, and online violence within their school lives.
• Globally, between 500 million and 1.5 billion children experience violence every year, many in and around schools.

Through a letter-writing campaign, Plan is encouraging Canadians to write to their local MPs, asking them to support a national action plan to end violence against all children, with a strong focus on gender in the school context. Learn more at www.plancanada.ca/takeaction

About Plan and the 'Because I am a Girl' initiative

Founded in 1937, Plan is one of the world's oldest and largest international development agencies, working in partnership with millions of people around the world to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, Plan has only one agenda: to improve the lives of children. Because I am a Girl is Plan's global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls' rights and lift millions of girls - and everyone around them - out of poverty. Visit www.plancanada.ca and www.becauseiamagirl.ca for more information.

Video with caption: "Speaking out on Bullying". Video available at: http://youtu.be/iyu8AoeFbKA

SOURCE: Plan Canada

For media inquiries, please contact:

Abigail Brown, Media and Public Relations Manager, Plan Canada
T: 416 920 1654 ext 277  |  C: 647 971 3764  |  [email protected]

Angie Torres, Media and Public Relations Specialist, Plan Canada
T: 416 920 1654 ext 244  |  [email protected]