Pink Shirt Day in Canada 2023: Date, History, Facts about Bullying

Pink Shirt Day is observed annually on the last Wednesday of February. People wear pink shirts to show their opposition to bullying. This day originated in Canada and is now celebrated internationally on various dates. In 2012, the United Nations declared May 4 to be the official day, but some countries prefer to celebrate it on February 28 or 29. This date is accepted by many countries around the world, including the United States, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Lebanon.

The background of Pink Shirt Day in Canada

Travis Price and David Shepherd of Berwick, Nova Scotia, established the inaugural Pink Shirt Day. In 2007, after Chuck McNeill, a male ninth-grader, was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school, they purchased and distributed fifty pink shirts. In recognition of these events, the former premier of Nova Scotia, Rodney MacDonald, designated the second Thursday of September as “Stand Up Against Bullying Day.” In 2008, Gordon Campbell, the premier of British Columbia, declared February 27 to be the regional anti-bullying day, establishing the last Wednesday of February as the national anti-bullying day in Canada. On Anti-Bullying Day in 2009, Boys and Girls Clubs wore pink T-shirts reading “Pink Shirt Day” and “Bullying Stops Here”

The day was created to fight bullying. According to the United States Department of Justice, one in four adolescents will experience bullying. And bullying typically continues for years after the initial incident. Seventy-one percent of bullied students continue to be bullied, making it an issue with no solution. Even a 2010 Yale School of Medicine study found a correlation between bullying and suicidal behaviour. This is referred to as “bullycide,” which occurs when a victim of bullying commits suicide as a result.

Activities for Pink Shirt Day can take place in schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods, or any other peer group location. It typically entails the elimination of anti-bullying rallies, the promotion of anti-discrimination organisations, and the creation of public awareness. Additional features include handouts, resources, and information promoting the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence message.

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5 FACTS about Bullying

To combat bullying, many parents permit their young children to undergo plastic surgery.

According to the United States Department of Justice, one in four adolescents will experience bullying.

Girls bully significantly more than boys.

Children in middle school report the highest rate of bullying, about 28 percent.

Approximately 160,000 students miss school due to bullying.

PINK SHIRT DAY IN CANADA DATES