Students stage walkout at northwest Calgary middle school

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Nearly 100 students, mostly girls, staged a walkout at a northwest Calgary middle school on Wednesday.

The group, who were mostly 14 years of age and younger, held a protest outside Twelve Mile Coulee School to raise awareness about sexual assault and the sexualization of girls and women.

Close to a hundred students protested outside Twelve Mile Coulee School, spreading awareness over sexual assault & sexualization of women & girls. A shocking number of students spoke about their experiences. They were ages 10-14. Many parents showed up for support. #yyc #Calgary pic.twitter.com/LTLdJMAN6x

— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) March 24, 2021

A shocking number of young girls, between the ages of 10 and 14, spoke about their own experiences with being sexually assaulted or sexualized.

“I feel like it’s extremely common, my friends have been groped, I’ve been groped, and I feel the degree that it’s at, it should be talked about,” said 14-year-old Elle Mcinnes, who organized the rally.

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Mcinnes adds her experiences and those of classmates make it clear there needs to be more education and less stigma around talking about sexual assault and sexualization.

Girls were holding signs saying “It may not be all men, but it’s enough,” “We need change,” and “Rapists cause rape, not flirting, clothes, or alcohol.”