Facebook Initiates Anti-Cyberbullying Movement in Canada

By: Ali Raza  |   November 18th, 2012   |   News, O Canada, Social Media

Acts of bullying are considered extremely harmful and damaging, whether it occurs in real-life or cyber-space. Therefore, we see various people conducting seminars, sharing anecdotes and doing all they can to create awareness about bullying or take initiatives against it in order to eradicate its lasting impact from society. It is because of these initiatives and seminars that today we have seen a decline in real-life bullying however it seems that now more than ever, cyberbullying is catching fire due to the increasing usage and infectious nature of the internet and social media.

 

Bearing this in mind, famous social networking website, Facebook has initiated an anti-cyberbullying campaign in Canada. Managing Director of Facebook, Jordan Banks said that the basic purpose of organizing this campaign was to provide security to everyone offline and online. Facebook has already organised a similar campaign in the US in association with Time Warner back in 2011, which has received 1 million likes to date.

 

The anti-bullying campaign in Canada also remained successful at home, receiving support form the Canadian Government as well. Laureen Harper from the Prime Minister’s Office said:

 

“What recent incidents have highlighted for us, is that we are losing too many children to bullying. Bullying is a serious issue. It is very complicated and if good intentions could solve the problem it would be fixed. Facebook’s Be Bold:Stop Bullying program is an important part of anti-bullying campaigns that will help raise awareness and open the lines of communication with anyone who is being bullied and those who want to help. I encourage anyone who feels victimized by bullying to talk to an adult or to call Kids Help Phone, and to remember that they are not alone.”

 

Kids Help Phone is one of the partnering organizations, who have joined forces with Facebook in this anti-cyberbullying campaign along with other prominent names like STOPcyberbullying and Concerned Children’s Advertisers.

 

This campaign from Facebook was able to grab the attention of Canadians because they had heard the tragic story of a young girl named Amanda Todd, who committed suicide as cyberbullying affected her life pretty badly.

 

There are numerous stories like Amanda Todd’s, but there are some forceful individuals who overcame the demon of bullying with strong will power. One such person is Jasmine Richards, who is a resident of Oakville and has faced bullying for four years during high school. Addressing fellow teens, Jasmine shared that she was just like them and leveraged her will powerto negate this evil act and became a champion for the anti-bullying movement.

 

Representative of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, Paul Taillefer said on this occasion that, “We regularly see kids who are often already struggling on the social margins and even more emotionally vulnerable than most, wrestle with plummeting self-esteem, failing grades, and depression. As educators, we believe that the welfare of vulnerable students in every community warrants collaborative and proactive effort on their behalf. That is why we applaud Facebook for launching this campaign and we encourage teachers, parents and students to sign the social pledge and take a stand against bullying.”

 

Taking pledge and advocating anti-bullying is a good sign, but along with it people should also understand that they need to be more open-minded and respect people’s individuality and differences. By taking this point into consideration, the government of Ontario has already put Accepting Schools Act into effect from this June. As a result of this decision, school boards are bond to take strict action against bullying, which can result in academic discipline. This act will also back students who want respect for everyone and develop understanding.

 

Source: Tech Vibes