Five years isn’t a very long time when you live under the umbrella of loss and grief. I wanted to write something to honour the memory of my daughter Rehtaeh on the fifth anniversary of her death, but words fail me. What can I say that I haven’t said before?
Things have changed since 2013. Victims of sexual assault turned their stories and whispered voices into a raging chorus that became a powerful movement. The cries of justice for one became the rallying cry for many with #BeenRapedNeverReported, #TimesUp and #MeToo. A movement born from a long chain of awful stories and shattered lives.
Somewhere in that chain is a link with Rehtaeh’s name on it. That is her legacy.
A lot of people and voices helped mould that link. Rae would be 22 years old today. To honour her today, I picked 22 messages from the thousands we’ve received from all over the world.
This is the legacy of Rehtaeh Parsons. These are the voices that speak for her.
— Avalon Sexual Assault Centre
— Emily Lindin, The UnSlut Project
— Jenny Kierstead, founder of Girl on Fire
For everyone who has helped turn the story of Rehtaeh’s tragedy into a story of hope, thank you. You have made a difference.