Schools have a legal duty to protect students, but research shows that many queer and trans students still experience unsafe environments.
The Right to Security of the Person:
Safety and Freedom from Violence, Bullying, and Harassment
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Every student, regardless of sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, has the right to be safe at school.
Egale Canada conducted a research survey in 2021 that specifically focused on high school students, and concluded that homophobia and transphobia are an everyday reality in Canadian schools:
76%
of trans students felt unsafe at school.
1 in 5
queer students had been physically harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and over a third of these students did not report the harassment to an adult.
64%
of students reported hearing “that’s so gay,” and almost half reported hearing homophobic slurs on a daily or weekly basis.
1 in 4
trans students and
1 in 5
queer students experienced sexual harassment in the past year.
These numbers are not acceptable, and schools have a responsibility to address and seek to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying and harassment caused by other students or staff.
What is bullying?
What is bullying?
Do schools have a responsibility to prevent bullying?
Do schools have a responsibility to prevent bullying?
Can bullying ever rise to a criminal level?
