An Alberta school chat listed girls to assault. The response shows Canada still has a rape culture problem

Gender-based violence researchers, feminists and activists use the term “rape culture” to describe a society where violence against women, girls and gender-diverse people is normalized, victims are blamed and perpetrators are routinely excused.

Earlier this month, it reared its head again: this time among school-aged youth in an Alberta school.

Boys at Camrose Composite High School reportedly listed girls they wanted to sexually assault or mutilate in a series of Snapchat group messages. According to news coverage, one boy even called himself a “rapist” in the chat.

Following this discovery, students walked out in protest against this technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence involves the use of digital and emerging technologies to stalk, surveil, harass or humiliate a target — typically a woman, girl or member of an additionally equity-denied group.

Instances of this form of violence are not uncommon, including among youth. In fact, within the same week, two 14-year-old boys were charged after they allegedly used artificial intelligence to create graphic deepfake nudes of multiple girls from Edmonton high schools.

As of publication, no charges or school disciplinary findings have been publicly confirmed in connection with the Camrose incident. But what happened in the days after the chat surfaced says as much about Canada’s rape culture as the chat itself.

When institutions use neutral language

The problem isn’t just boys engaging in technology-facilitated gender-based violence. It’s also how others in their environment react to these kinds of events.

First, there is the culture of impunity. The social media threads were allegedly active since fall 2025, with multiple boys said to have contributed over that period of time. Then, according to a Grade 12 student who was part of the protest, when other students tried to report the chat to school officials, they were told by a staff…

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