PROVINCE PROCLAIMS ANTI-BULLYING DAY

VANCOUVER - The Province is proclaiming Feb. 27 as Anti-Bullying Day to support efforts to end bullying in schools and communities across the province, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.

"Nobody likes a bully and we all have to take a stand to stop bullying," said Campbell. "Anti-Bullying Day is a celebration of those who take action to stop bullies in our schools and around the province. It starts with all of us saying bullying is wrong and then standing up for those who become targets. We all benefit when everyone feels safe and secure in their schools, neighbourhoods and province."

Anti-Bullying Day highlights British Columbia's commitment to a safe and inclusive province and is an opportunity to actively promote respectful and kind behaviour among citizens. It recognizes efforts to build communities that foster respect, fairness, equity and compassion, and to celebrate the actions of individuals, schools and communities to address bullying, harassment and intimidation.

"Student safety is a top priority, and we know that when students feel safe and accepted among their peers, they do better at school," said Education Minister Shirley Bond. "Anti-Bullying Day is another step towards uniting as a province to find tangible solutions so that all British Columbians can feel safe and achieve their best."

Last spring, the Province passed legislation requiring all B.C. schools have codes of conduct for their students that meet provincial standards. This step fulfills a platform commitment to institute "zero tolerance" of bullying in B.C. schools. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General are also updating the Focus on Bullying and Focus on Harassment and Intimidation guides, and a parent brochure will soon be in schools to help families better understand their shared role with schools in bullying prevention.

"The Province thanks CKNW and Christy Clark for helping to promote Anti-Bullying Day in B.C.," said Campbell. "We encourage everyone to wear pink on Feb. 27 to show your opposition to bullying - I know I will."

Anti-Bullying Day complements the Province's beliefs that a healthy environment and educated populace are essential to healthy human development, and that a safe, humane society is the outcome of an enlightened, prosperous and caring community.

-30-

1 backgrounder(s) attached.

Media contact:

Dale Steeves
Communications Director
Office of the Premier
250 387-6605

Public Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963

Father's suicide becomes rallying cry for fairness in court

April 1, 2000

BRANDON, Man. - Thirty-five years ago today, Lillian White gave birth to her youngest son. Yesterday, she knelt down and kissed his coffin at his graveside.

Darrin White committed suicide two weeks ago in Prince George, B.C., after a judge ordered him to pay his estranged wife twice his take-home pay in child support and alimony each month.

In death he has become a poignant symbol of family courts gone awry, of a divorce system run by people with closed minds, hard hearts and deaf ears.

Teen depression on the increase

More and More teens are becoming depressed. The numbers of young people suffering from depression in the last 10 years has risen worryingly, an expert says.

BBC, UK, August 3, 2004

Government statistics suggest one in eight adolescents now has depression.

Unless doctors recognise the problem, Read More ..uld slip through the net, says Professor Tim Kendall of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.

Guidelines on treating childhood depression will be published next year. Professor Kendall says a lot Read More ..eds to be done to treat the illness.

Invisible Suicides

StatsCan recently reported on a 10% increase in suicides. But StatsCan persists in ignoring the group of Canadians at greatest risk for suicide, as do the media and professional reports.

Suicide is a microcosm for those most under stress and most at risk of unresolved crisis in society. Suicides may logically be categorized as 100% citizens of Canada, and then as 79% male. The most critical measure of depression - suicide - is counted overwhelmingly in male corpses. For over 23 years widespread media and professional attention concentrated on 12,500 AIDS deaths, compared to little concern with 92,000 suicides.

PROVINCE PROCLAIMS ANTI-BULLYING DAY

Father's suicide becomes rallying cry for fairness in court

Teen depression on the increase

Family Conflict and Suicide Rates Among Men

Violence and Abuse within the Family: The Neglected Issues

Quebec men more likely to commit suicide than women

Invisible Suicides