The most important thing a man can give his children is his time.

Happy Father’s Day

Trecho de Don’t Let Me Down – The Beatles, interpretado por Diogo Mello de apenas 1 ano e 11 meses. Data vídeo: 28.05.2013

It’s going to be rough but this story made me smile. Priscilla is the wife of Craig Blake. Craig was killed serving in Afghanistan in 2010 and he left behind two young sons. The guys at the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic (Craig’s unit) reached out to do something nice for them and it was made all the better with this:

Well done Costco!

Photos came in from all over the world and really touched our hearts.

I put together a gallery on Flickr: Hands Up For Rehtaeh

You can still add your image. Just email it to me at glen@glencanning.com.

Flickr Gallery

We will need some time to go over the report before we can say much about it. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has also offered their assistance.

We greatly appreciate the support we have been given and look forward to making a statement in the near future.

Our thanks to Debra and Penny for their work and to Minister More for taking action on the recommendations.

Jennifer MacNeil

It’s an informative 17 minute report and well worth the listen.

In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. One does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it.

Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor — never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees — not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.

Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment.

~ Elie Wiesel

There is much work to do.

Meeting soon with the IWK.

Going to advocate the Nova Scotia government for funding so rape victims never again face re-victimization when they cry out for help.

Also: post pictures of your wrist (with “Rehtaeh” written on it) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and explain why you’re doing so.

Hashtag on Instagram and Twitter with #handsup4rehtaeh.

Photos are coming in from all over the world.

Hands Up for Rehtaeh

2007 – NS only 30% reported sexual assaults had charges laid, lowest in Canada.Nat. average was 42% #handsup4rehtaeh pic.twitter.com/8JGCOYT4OS

— S. Leuther (@sleuth_4_truths) June 7, 2013

#HandsUp4Rehtaeh goes viral 2 months after death of Nova Scotia teen http://t.co/XAW0ocvG7y

— canada.com (@thecanadacom) June 7, 2013

Amanda was blackmailed by an adult predator who easily found her name, address, friends and family, all through social media. He could reach her at any time. Unable to escape, she took her own life at age 15. Amanda wasn’t alone and more children are falling prey every day.

Law enforcement and children’s protection agencies now identify social media as a serious threat to child safety. Today I’m reaching out to a mother whose daughter’s life has been destroyed after a recording of her was posted to Facebook. The person with the video threatened to post it and “tag” her in it if she didn’t have sex with him.

My response to that story is available in today’s Metro Halifax.

The Red Hood Project calls for the social media industry to control and protect children’s privacy online by:

• Age verification of child users
• Disabled location and web browser tracking
• Default privacy settings for children and youth
• Firewall protection for children’s data online

Founding partner RAFFI Cavoukian is known to millions simply as Raffi, a renowned Canadian singer once called “the most popular children’s entertainer in the western world” (Washington Post). In his three decade music career, Raffi refused all commercial endorsement offers and never directly advertised or marketed to children. He is a passionate advocate for a child’s right to live free of commercial exploitation. He is the founder and chair of the Centre for Child Honouring, and is currently writing a book on the need to reform social media.

Please take the time to read over more about the Red Hood Project and sign their Open Letter to Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.

“Facebook has become a brand feared by parents, when it should be one they can trust.”

Then share the site with everyone you know:

• Red Hood Project on Facebook
• Red Hood Project on Twitter

#handsup4rehtaeh

When you do post a photo of your wrist (with “Rehtaeh” written on it) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and explain why you’re doing so.

Hashtag on Instagram and Twitter with #handsup4rehtaeh.

The Facebook page for this event is here. The Page states that Rehtaeh’s death:

“…has been linked to a photo of her rape (17 months prior) being circulated via texting among her school and community and the failure of the Canadian justice system in adequately addressing the assault and its aftermath.

“In light of this, Steubenville, and numerous other rapes and sexual assaults in the news, we are making a call to action.

“We are tired of girls and women being treated like sexual objects and the effect rape culture has on global society.”

I’ve seen some really beautiful photos so far including this one from a close friend in Germany:

#handsup4rehtaeh

Why My Hand is Up for Rehtaeh Parsons