We have all heard the disturbing stories coming out of universities and colleges about hazing rituals that have gotten out of hand.
However, what has allegedly happened at the prestigious St. Michael’s College School for boys in Toronto pales in comparison.
The Roman Catholic private school for Grades 7-12 has come under fire after a video surfaced online of a boy allegedly being sexually assaulted with a broom handle while others allegedly held him down.
The six students, aged 14 and 15, charged by police cannot be identified. The victim is recovering.
Apparently, it’s all part of a hazing ritual in a culture that has kept the secret for generations, until now. More are speaking out.
You can say boys will be boys (and all that stuff), but in the end, this is not what anyone would interpret as hazing; these are allegations of severe sexual assault.
READ MORE: Violent hazing at Toronto private school goes back decades, alumnus says
And it takes a certain type of culture, for this not only to allegedly have happened, but to be suggested as the norm by others and apparently repeated for generations.
There is a terrible problem here, and it is far beyond what we know as bullying.
What is equally concerning here are parallels we see in this institution and the Catholic church. Sexual abuse appears to be an ongoing issue and when discovered, it seems like everything is done to keep it secret, and to protect the institution rather than the individual.
And they are raising our futures leaders?
Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.
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