Nearly eight months after Carol Todd laid her daughter to rest, the Port Coquitlam mom and educator is still working to end bullying on a national scale and counts as a win her meeting last week with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"He said that he and his government would sit down and hash out a change to the legislation in the criminal code and look at the victims and the families of the victims," Todd said in recounting a round-table meeting with the prime minister and several families who've lost children to bullying or cyberbullying.
The meeting held last week in Winnipeg follows numerous tragic events, including the suicide last October of Amanda Todd, who before she committed suicide posted a video chronicling months of taunting and cyberbullying, and the April suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons after bullying and harassment related to photos of an alleged rape.
Todd and Parson's parents were at the meeting, along with other families whose children suffered similar tragedies, and representatives of online advocacy groups such as the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (CCCP) and the Kids Help Phone.
Not only was the meeting a comfort to Todd, who got to share her story in a personal conversation with Harper, but she came away feeling optimistic that something would be done to protect children who might otherwise be victimized online.
She was also impressed by CCCP, which has pledged to work with the government on education and has produced a helpful website needhelpnow.ca that provides Canadian youth with tips on dealing with online issues.
The site includes:
practical steps to get a video or a photo taken off the internet;
steps to take when a photo is being shared by peers;
numbers to call to get help;
steps for moving forward in a positive way;
and where to call to report a tip when things have gone too far.
"It brings Amanda's legacy to the forefront," Todd said of the event, which capped several months of advocacy for change to the way governments, social media companies and internet providers treat children and online tormentors.
With the help of social media expert Jesse Miller, Todd has also crafted a letter as a follow up to last Friday's meeting, calling for the federal government to take a leadership role in combating cyberbullying.
Dear Mr. Prime Minister
Excerpts from Carol Todd's letter to Stephen Harper
"As we have seen in many tragic incidents, the role of social media and mobile technology has allowed children to become documentarians and journalists without the benefit of life experiences to assist in judgement of how to share these events, especially when the events are of a serious nature."
"Cyberbullying incidents are continually on the rise and, with some recent noteworthy events, we have seen where children have chosen suicide as an option for their pain."
Digital Citizenship must be taught, including at the elementary school level, and even younger, to prepare them for the online world
Federal leadership to provide tools and guidelines as well as tougher legislation to make cyberbullying a criminal offense
More accountability of parents for their children's online behavior, including verification of social media accounts
More accountability from social media sites, mobile phone and internet providers
Information about being safe online is also available at www.getcybersafe.gc.ca.
