Teenage ‘rape victim’ takes her own life after bullying ordeal

A teenager’s two-year ordeal, during which photos of an alleged sexual assault were shared among her classmates, came to a tragic end when she was found hanged in her bathroom.

Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was allegedly attacked by four classmates when she was 15 years old.

Last week, she attempted suicide after photos were allegedly distributed around her school.

After Rehtaeh fell into a coma on Sunday, her family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off life support.

Rehtaeh’s mother has set up a Facebook page for her daughter, where she reveals graphic details of her ordeal.

“This page is dedicated to my wonderful daughter who was smart, beautiful, full of life and had a deep compassion for animals,” the page says. “The person Rehtaeh changed completely on one terrible night in November 2011.”

The site goes on to report on Retaeh’s alleged rape and public humiliation, saying she was suicidal, took drugs and was shunned by her friends and classmates.

“One of the boys took a photo of her rape and thought it would be funny to distribute the photo to everyone in Rehtaeh’s school and community, where it quickly spread on the Internet,” Retaeh’s mother claims.

“Rehtaeh was suddenly shunned by almost everyone she knew. The harassment was so bad that she had to leave her own community to start a new life in Halifax.”

“Rehtaeh is dead today because the four boys thought it was okay to rape a 15-year-old girl and it would be fun to circulate a photo to ruin her life and reputation.”

“Secondly, it’s also because of all the bullying, messages and harassment that never stopped. And finally, the justice system has failed them.”

These are the people who took my beautiful girl’s life. Rehtaeh stood up for others and showed compassion for animals and people. She was an amazing artist. She made my life complete.”

“When Rehtaeh was born, I dedicated everything to her and promised her the world. Others in this world took that away from her.”

Local media reports of Reteah’s tragedy spread like wildfire on the Internet, and outrage over the way she was treated grew.

Local newspaper The Chronicle Herald reported that Reteah had received malicious text messages calling her a “slut” and asking for sexual favors.

The story has attracted worldwide attention and many are wondering who is responsible for the culture that allowed Rita to become a victim of such harassment.

Twitter users expressed their outrage, calling the story heartbreaking and asking which authorities failed to save her.

An online organization linked to the hacker group Anonymous says it is trying to find out and publish the personal information of the alleged rapists.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is currently investigating Rehtaeh’s death.

If you are worried about your own mental health or that of a loved one, seek support and information from Lifeline 13 11 14, Mensline 1300 789 978 or Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.