Girls In Canada!

As many of us know i have always had a passion for working with and mentoring young women. Much of this comes from my background as a child and what i survived. Being a young woman in today's society is not easy. We face so many tests and challenges which leave us feeling either less than or not worthy at all. It usually starts at the age of 9. Despite what you're or our parents want to believe, at times they don't even know what we/you/they are going through. I know.....it is a tough world out here. This is why i suggest every young woman READ! Study the "stats" and what is going on in this world we live in. Read about relationships and the do's and don't's of LIFE. Know what it is like to understand "abuse" and all the forms it comes in. Mental, physical, emotional and sexual. This is so important ladies.

Please have someone you can talk too. Unlike myself, i did not have anyone. I had a social worker, but i did not trust her. I had a big sister but i did not trust her either (not my blood sister) But none of that was their fault. I was just a messed up child and did not trust anyone. But we have got to get passed that and reach out to someone. If you have something you want to share with someone, something that is going on that you know should not be, please reach out.

I was doing some reading and researching online tonight and came across an amazing article. Please read this. Please. Like i said, study the world around you...and this is a way to do that.


Why do you focus on girls when most media reports say boys are falling behind?

• We strongly believe that all children—boys and girls—deserve to thrive, and we applaud other campaigns that work to support boys. As a women’s organization, our mission focuses on women and girls. However, our teen violence prevention programs are co-ed, designed for both boys and girls.
• When girls start school, it’s true they are more likely than boys to do well in reading, writing, and forming friendships. Yet for many girls, this advantage is overshadowed by two serious problems—high rates of sexual assault and a sharp decline in mental health in adolescence.
• Aboriginal girls in Canada are especially at risk. They experience alarmingly high levels of depression, suicide, addiction, HIV infection, and poverty.
• We are also very concerned about the growing number of girls who are being victimized by sex trafficking. About 80% of sex trafficking victims in Canada are women and girls. 1

How many girls in Canada are sexually assaulted?

• In 2008, over 11,000 sexual assaults of girls under the age of 18 were reported to police in Canada. Since only about 10% of assaults are reported, the actual number is much higher. 
• Girls experience sexual assault at much higher rates than boys—82% of all victims under the age of 18 are female. 
• The highest risk is for teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 15. At this age, girls are much more likely to be sexually assaulted than young women aged 18 to 24.
• When girls are sexually assaulted, 75% of the time the perpetrator is someone they know. 
• One third are victimized by a family member. Ninety-seven percent of the perpetrators are male—a father, brother, grandfather, uncle, cousin, or step-relative. 
• Girls are four times as likely as boys to be sexually assaulted by a family member.
• Tragically, about 75% of Aboriginal girls under age 18 have been sexually abused.
• Almost half of all Ontario high school girls have been the victim of unwanted sexual comments or gestures. 
• Over 80% of victims of dating violence are female. 

What happens to girls’ mental health in adolescence?

• As girls enter adolescence, from ages 9 to 13, their confidence declines sharply and they experience higher rates of depression.
• In Grade Six, 36% of girls say they are self-confident, but by Grade Ten this has plummeted to only 14%.
• In Grade Six, boys and girls report the same levels of depression—about 25% says they feel depressed at least once a week.  However, by Grade Ten rates of depression in girls have jumped—they are three times more likely than boys to be depressed.  For girls, depression typically stems from “low self-esteem, negative body image, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and stress.”
• More than 20% of BC girls say they have deliberately cut or harmed themselves. 
• More than half of all girls wish they were someone else. 

Please read more on this article....