It Has To Stop

    Once again, a young life has ended after a bullying episode. This time, a 15 year old boy in Saskatchewan took his own life after years of bullying. Todd Loik was 2 weeks away from his 16th birthday when his mother found his lifeless body in their home September 9th. Once again, calls are going out to try and stop what seems to me to have become an epidemic of physical and on-line torment and attacks that so often end in the suicide of the victim.
   Far too often, young people have killed themselves, rather than endure continued, repeated, often ignored episodes. Already several provincial governments are looking at anti-bullying laws, Saskatchewan included. And after Todd's case came to light, Canada's justice minister also promises something will be done.
   The question is.....what? For obvious reasons, no jurisdiction can set up, maintain and run an anti-bullying system 24/7/365. Just monitoring the internet, facebook, twitter, chat rooms etc. is a nigh on impossibility. Perhaps what's needed is a 24/7/365 phone line for victims of bullying to call before they take that last irrevocable step. Police also need more power to deal with such attacks. Courts need to be able to sentence perpetrators to harsh jail time on conviction.
   More importantly in my country, Canada, the stupid, useless Young Offenders Act needs to be scrapped. Kids under 18 can't be named in any crime. Even a murder, which to me a bully driven suicide is. Splash the name of the criminal fuck all over the newspapers and TV.
   Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done soon, so another family like Todd Loik won't have to go through what they are right now.
   'Nuff said.