Rehtaeh Parsons - bullied to death in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Rehtaeh Parsons, age 17, died on April 7, 2013, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

She had hung herself days before and was on life support until her family decided to let her go peacefully.

Her mother says her daughter's life took a turn when she was 15 after she was sexually assaulted by four boys at a home in November of 2011.

She says one of the boys took a photo of the alleged assault, posted it on the Internet, and her daughter was subjected to bullying afterward as a result.

Police investigated the alleged sexual assault, which took place at a party in Cole Harbour where teenagers were drinking heavily, and in consultation with the Crown, decided there was insufficient evidence to lay charges against the four boys.

In connection with the bullying, the Nova Scotia education minister has asked the Halifax Regional School Board to review its stance on this case and this issue.

RCMP in Nova Scotia stated that all four boys involved in their investigation are still minors and police are concerned about reprisals.

A Change.org petition started by a family friend calling for an independent review of the Parsons case was signed by more than 11,000 people in less than 24 hours.

Rehtaeh's mother stated: “Rehtaeh is gone today because of the four boys that thought that raping a 15 year old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun. Secondly, all the bullying and messaging and harassment that never let up are also to blame. Lastly, the justice system failed her. Those are the people that took the life of my beautiful girl.

Rehtaeh's mother also stated that on the night of the incident her daughter had drunk a lot of vodka and only remembered bits and pieces of that night. She said her daughter initially kept the incident to herself and was trying to forget about it when three days later she discovered a photo was circulating among her classmates.

She walked into school and everyone started calling her a slut. She was never left alone. She had to leave the community. Her friends turned against her. People harassed her. Boys she didn’t know started texting her and Facebooking her asking her to have sex with them. It just never stopped.

And of course, the school would deny culpability in this issue. Duh?  As in:  We didn't know - we can't watch every student.  You really mean you can't keep your snot-nosed teenaged brats in check.  You let them run wild and do exactly as they want.

Rehtaeh is survived by many loving friends and supporters and loved ones, including

Father, place Rehtaeh on
the stairway to Heaven

her mother, Leah and her father, Glen.

Pray for all who are driven to suicide.

Pray for all who are tormented in this life. 

Pray for justice for Rehtaeh.

Let us pray that Rehtaeh is in heaven. Let us pray that she is at peace and is with God. Amen.