'Fed up' Charlottetown high school students protest treatment of girls
CBC
About 200 young people lined University Avenue in Charlottetown Tuesday afternoon, speaking out against what they see as harassment of female students.
Charlottetown Rural and Colonel Gray high school students staged the walkout just after lunchtime, marching and chanting "respect ... now" as they made their way to one of the city's busiest intersections.
Many were carrying signs focusing on double standards in how male and female students are treated by some teachers. They spoke of inappropriate comments about their appearance, and being told they were violating dress code standards.
Abby Rogerson of Charlottetown Rural was one of the participants, saying she has been told to "cover myself up" because her clothing could distract her male peers.
"People feel like they're being looked down upon just for being girls," said the 17 year old. "It's really disgusting and we want change.
"This is the only way that we could get our voices heard. People have complained, people have said everything. Nothing's changed. So it's about time."
Plans for the walkout got started on social media when Kennedy Curley posted about her own experience at Charlottetown Rural.
"I was so fed up with it," she told CBC News. "I see it in social media all the time — like, injustices — and it's just disgusting. And women do not deserve to be treated the way that they are."
Other girls quickly added their own stories.
"It just makes you feel vulnerable because … we're at school for learning, we're not there for our looks," said Colonel Gray student Malilah Chambers.
In just a few days, they had more than 200 people committed to joining their walkout.
Some of the girls who spoke to CBC News said that despite telling their parents, and in some cases bringing it up directly with the school administration, nothing seemed to change.
They hoped the walkout would make a difference.
They'd like to see more education on gender discrimination as part of the P.E.I. school curriculum.
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