Manitoba’s Second Class Citizens

In Manitoba, we have a population of second class people. These are the bully victims once the bullying has stopped. These are the people that aren’t allowed the same rights as the rest of the people in Manitoba and they may represent 10 to 15 % of the population.

The bullying has stopped so everything must be fixed right? WRONG! The reason the bullying has stopped is not because the bullies have been punished. The bullying has stopped because the victim was punished and is no longer available.

The victim isn’t bullied on the school bus because they no longer ride the school bus. The victim isn’t bullied at school, because they no longer go to school. The victim isn’t bullied at soccer because they no longer play soccer. The victim isn’t bullied at the playground because they no longer go to the playground. The victim isn’t bullied riding their bike because they no longer ride their bike. The victim isn’t bullied at the community center because they no longer go to the community center and the list goes on and on.The fear of further attacks and humiliation makes the victim avoid anything that would put themselves in jeopardy of being judged by peers,” victims lose years of their life as they spend more time in hiding than actually living.

The bullying has stopped because the victim is now a prisoner in their home. They have the same rights that any prisoner in any government prison except the locks keeping them from leaving are invisible. It is fear at this point that makes them a prisoner, a fear that the bullies created and the government supports. Any attempt to break out and live a normal life is immediately crushed by the authorities.  The government will quickly say that the victim can go anywhere they want, but the victim knows that an attack is very likely. What would happen if the victim did step out? At first, things may appear safe, but as soon as the bullies or their supporters saw the victim trying to regain some semblance of a normal life, an immediate attack would occur. This attack would not be physical; instead, it would be physiological.  They victim may find themselves being followed; they may get stared at where ever they go. They may get yelled at by neighbors for trivial things, but physical injuries at this stage are rare. The main goal at this point is to make the victim feel so terrible that they will do anything to stop the pain and suffering. The goal is to drive the victim completely out of the community, to get rid of them.

The only way that a bully victim and family can return to normal is to leave the community and move someplace far away where no one knows them; they become Manitoba’s refugees as they try to start a new life in a new place.  There is no grief counseling available for bully victims and family. No support, no one to talk to, the government and communities abandon their second class citizens and treat them as lepers. These lepers are shunned and sequestered to keep them away from normal people. Lots of things will be done, but you can rest easy if you are a bully or bully supporter, you will always be given preferential treatment.

 The Manitoba government has a policy of inclusion. This policy is supposed to guarantee that no child or family is left out. Soon this policy will have to be amended to exclude bully victims and their families.