Save The Date [2020]

27th of November

Amanda Todd's Birthday

The haunting thing about Amanda Todd's story is its truth and the fact that it hits so close to home for many of us. Even seven years after her death, she is still relevant and important to remember. Today (November 27th) would have been Amanda's 24th birthday.

When you overhear the name Amanda Todd, it is likely you think of her YouTube video about her life (which she filmed and posted just a month prior to her suicide). Amanda made some mistakes in her short life - including sleeping with guys who had partners - but not everything that happened to her was her fault. She was still the same as all of us: human, vulnerable, and emotional.

Once, Amanda impulsively flashed a webcam group and someone took a screenshot of her body. It was later added to a porn site and shared with her facebook friends, family (including her mother) and many other people around the world. Amanda never expected that this would happen, it was likely an impulsive decision and yet it was a mistake seen by millions. Because of her age, she was a minor and sexually exploited. In 2013, a year too late, harsher laws were introduced regarding cyber-bullying and revenge porn.

The police were made aware of Amanda's blackmailing multiple times and struggled to come to a conclusion. They were very unsure of what to suggest and their advice seemed to begin and end with "delete or close your accounts," ie, "protect yourself." Years after her death, in 2014, Dutch Police are thought to have found one of her perpetrators known simply as "Aydin C." who is 41 years old. His case was taken to trial in February 2017 and he faced 72 charges of sexual assault and extortion against 39 (young) victims. He faces five separate charges related to Amanda Todd and has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison.

She was deeply aware of her mistake and received a great deal of harassment and abuse for it, online and in real life. She experienced major depressive disorder, anxiety, and panic disorder which left her unable to leave her house. She was petrified of the torrent of abuse she received, particularly at school, and so she made (what I believe to be) her first suicide attempt, where she drank bleach.

Hopeless, alone and terrified of who would see her photo next, Amanda posted her very well-known video, telling her story by sharing intimate story-cards of her life's "never-ending" events. Just by reading the cards, and noticing her innocent spelling mistakes (due to a speculated language-based learning disability), you can really realize how young she was, despite her actions. Her mother believes that this video was a release for her emotions: a way of letting out how she felt, rather than a suicide video. At the heart of it all, she was a fifteen-year-old girl seeking love and affection in places that could only offer her blackmail, extortion, and abuse.

Amanda's exact cause of death has not been confirmed but it is was definitely known to be suicide. She died alone. Ultimately, she was alone while she was alive, too.