Rehtaeh Parsons' father to speak at Ottawa theatre production on sexual violence
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The trial of former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi sparked a national conversation about sexual violence cases and how they play out in the justice system.
That discussion has now entered the creative realm with a dance-theatre production called The Ghomeshi Effect, opening at The Gladstone on Thursday. The show presents real stories of sexual assault to explore the effects of language and violence.
Throughout the show’s nine-day run, guest speakers will take part in TGE Dialogues, a series of panel events about sexual assault, rape culture, PTSD and the legal system.
The performance begins with keynote speaker Glen Canning, the father of Rehtaeh Parsons, a Nova Scotia teenager who was sexually assaulted by four boys at a home near Halifax in 2011. Rehtaeh ended her life April 4, 2013, following months of cyber-abuse and victim blaming.
After the death of his only child, Canning became an advocate for victims of sexual assault.
The Sun spoke to him about his life of activism since his daughter’s death.
Q. What is your impression of the message behind The Ghomeshi Effect?
A. I think using art is always good for highlighting social injustices. I think what they are putting on is fantastic, good for them. And I was really honoured to come and talk about my daughter Rehtaeh and her story and the role men take in violence against women.
Q. What will you be talking about? What is your message?
A. I want to talk about (Rehtaeh’s) case and I want to talk about rape culture and the victim blaming that was involved — and the victim blaming that is involved in essentially every sexual assault.
Q. There’s a group aimed at engaging men in the prevention of violence that will take part in the panel. What are your thoughts?
A. A. MANifest Change is a good group. I know there’s also ManUp in Ottawa.. It’s a fantastic group of young guys in high schools talking about violence against women. I believe it inspires them to start speaking up and speaking out. And more importantly, it inspires them, hopefully in a good way, to be very aware of the bystander effect and to not be a bystander.
Q. What do you mean by the bystander effect?
A. Bystanders are a huge part of the problem and that’s part of my message as well. It’s people who don’t do anything. People who will see something happening or a person in distress or in trouble and not think that it involves them and they just don’t want to do anything about it. The bystander (issue), I know in my daughter’s case, it could have made a difference, a big difference, but it just never happened. It’s hard because it’s four young guys in a home with her, completely vulnerable and not one of them stood up.
Rehtaeh Parsons died of suicide in April 2013 after she was sexually assaulted and explicit photos of her distributed around her Nova Scotia high school.
Q. What can people do to help those who have been victims and are in need of social support during the aftermath?
A. No one really came to (Rehtaeh’s) defence the following week (after the assaults) when everyone was labelling her and attacking her. If you know somebody is being really wronged, just do anything, do something. Send them a message, send them an email, send them a tweet. Say, ‘I’m glad you are in our school. Thinking of you today.’ It’s important to (instil) empathy in kids. And if they start getting involved with that with each other, they are going to see other social injustices go on and they are going to start talking about them too.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length.
Canning will appear at the Gladstone Theatre on Friday at 5 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. show.
