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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 20, 2016 | 22 Leah Parsons speaks to sold-out crowd at Sheridan by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Finding a solution to ending harassment and violence against women and girls begins with dialogue and education, says Leah Parsons, whose daughter was a victim. S e v e n t e e n - y e a r- o l d Rehtaeh died by suicide in 2013, 17 months after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a party. She was a target of bullying and shaming for months after a photo of her during the alleged incident was posted and distributed online. Last Thursday (Oct. 13), the Dartmouth, N.S., mother talked about Rehtaeh, who she was and the circumstances leading up to and following her death at the For Her We Speak event, held at Sheridan College. The sold-out, twohour forum was hosted by Halton Women's Place, Sheridan College and Communications and Literary Studies Instructor/ PhD Researcher Nicolette Little. The evening included remarks from Parsons, Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff, also vicechair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Status of Women, and Sheridan president and CEO Jeff Zabudsky, as well as a qsiwindows.com DOUBLE SAVINGS EVENT SAVE BIG during our BIGGEST event of the year! Fall Leah Parsons speaks to sold-out crowd at Oakville's Sheridan College. Her daughter died by suicide after an alleged sexual assault was posted online. | Quin Vertolli photo 25 + 25 % OFF + Free 2for1 Upgrades! Visit our Showroom qsiwindows.com 905 % OFF Call for details SALE EXTENDED to October 31st!* 866 *No interest and no payment for one full year based on maximum volume discounts with minimum down payments required, 575-8078 not applicable on basement window or storm door purchases. **Offers valid only on purchases made between September 1st h Offer not applicable on basement window, retractable screens, Martin Wood Products, or storm door purchases. Q-and-A. While Parsons has spoken at numerous elementary and high schools across Canada, her appearance at Sheridan was the first at a college. In an interview prior to the event, she told the Oakville Beaver it's important to speak publicly, not only to honour Rehtaeh's life, but to help others and educate them on the dangers girls and women face. "I believe we can affect change. When we change our dialogue, we can affect our behaviour. The more we talk about it, the more social change we're going to see," said Parsons. The goal of the event was for attendees to realize bullying, violence and sexual assault are still happening to women and girls, "as shocking as it is," Parsons said. She hopes people's perceptions will shift a bit when they come across similar situations or discuss As a Maid Right owner you have my quality guarantee with every clean. 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"For youth, you don't need to be extremely punitive, but you have to get the message across that it's just not going to be acceptable. If it means that a law has to be in place, then I'm all for that," said Parsons. In Bridgewater, N.S., six male youths are currently in court over allegations of sharing intimate images of girls in a Dropbox account. Parsons is following it closely to see what the outcome will be. "When someone shares a photo and (then) someone else shares it... these are high school kids, they know that will damage that person emotionally. They might not understand the extent of how bad it can go, but when they share that photo, they're doing it with the intent of shaming that person," said Parsons. Regarding the nature of distributing photos without consent, Parsons said there is a lack of knowledge in law enforcement agencies on Bill C-13 (Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act), which its existence comes as a surprise to some youths, too. see Speaking on p.24 289.809.9823 (XXX) XXX-XXXX localurladdressgoeshere.com Oakville.MaidRight.com Same Reliable Owners Clean Every Visit Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products Colour-Coded Cloths Reduce Cross Contamination EnviroShield® Whole Home Disinfecting Strongest Guarantee In the Industry ©2015 Maid Right Franchising LLC. Maid Right and JAN-PRO International are subsidiaries of Premium Franchise Brands LLC. Michaels Stores included the Star Shower in our 10/14 & 10/21 advertisements. Unfortunately, the Star Shower will not be in stores until 11/7/16. We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may have caused. CorreCtion