Nunavut mom pleads with parents to end cyberbullying
Woman says bullies faked her daughter's Facebook account
A Nunavut mother is making a plea for other parents to speak to their children about cyberbullying following an incident in which her 10-year-old child was allegedly victimized.
The parent, whom CBC News is not naming in order to protect the identity of her child, posted on Facebook earlier this week about the alleged incident, saying that "a group of girls her age (10 yrs old) created a profile under her name... and have been commenting on (friends) photos telling them to go and kill themselves."
The parent told CBC that she turned to the RCMP for help, but was told that the bullies are too young to be charged with a crime.
Cyberbullying has been cited as difficult to prosecute in other provinces due to often vague and broad definitions of the act itself. Nunavut currently does not have any legislation relating specifically to cyberbullying.
Charges 'not a path we prefer to pursue'
"There's been cases where we have charged people with assault or threats in bullying cases, and they've had to appear in court," says Sgt. David Lawson, a community policing co-ordinator in Iqaluit.
"It's not a path we prefer to pursue, and if there's a better path than dealing with the courts, we're going to try and deal with it that way."
Lawson says that when cases such as this arise, he would prefer to see the community come together to put a stop to the activity, including the parents of the youth involved as well as school officials.
The parent involved in this case says that she has reached out to both, adding that she has advised her own children to stay off the internet for the time being.
Nunavut's Representative for Children and Youth's office said in a statement it is addressing cyberbullying through awareness programs in schools and through police awareness programs.
with files from Jordan Konek