The tragic account of events that led to the September 2013 overdose death of a South Surrey teen is part of a television documentary examining sexual violence that premieres this weekend.
Adriana Falcon was just 15 when she died at a Vancouver boarding house, from a lethal combination of methamphetamine and heroin.
In the documentary, Sexual Violence, Social Media and Society: Is Canada Facing a Crisis? – first airing on the Cable Public Affairs Channel at 7 p.m. PT Friday – her father Rick says Adriana fell into the lifestyle just a year before, after being sexually assaulted at a White Rock beach party that had been organized through Facebook. She was 13 at the time.
Wednesday, he described that July 2012 incident as “the catalyst that set everything in motion.”
“This happened to Adriana and she was gone 14 months later,” Falcon said.
Documentary host Kimothy Walker – a former CTV journalist, managing partner of Ottawa Media Group, and a survivor of a childhood sexual assault herself – said the hour-long program is “very hard to watch.”
Falcon and Glen Canning, father of Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons – who killed herself after explicit photos of her alleged gang rape were shared online – are candid in sharing their daughters’ stories in the documentary.
Walker also speaks with former prosecutor Sandy Garossino, who discusses a need for Canada to stand up for such victims; City TV correspondent Shauna Hunt, who confronted men who shouted sexual obscenities at her as she reported from a soccer game earlier this year; and former federal politician Sheila Copps, who recently shared her own experience of being a victim of unreported sexual crimes.
Walker, 47, said she hopes the documentary will do more than get people talking about the issue of sexual violence against women.
“We’re not outraged as a country, we’re not demanding change, we’re not looking at the causes,” she told Peace Arch News.
“The question has to become, why?”
The role of social media, the concept of a rape culture and the definition of consent are woven throughout the piece.
Falcon, who moved to Victoria three years ago in an effort to get his daughter away from the lifestyle she was drowning herself in, said he agreed to be part of the program for Adriana.
“I think it’s just important that Adriana’s story – for Adriana – is known,” he said.
“This is a little girl that lives the darkest part of herself. Shedding light on what happened to her is really a good thing.
“The other bigger side of it is, what happened to her has happened to other girls, maybe in similar situations.
“It’s for her, and it’s for all the other girls and parents and families out there.”
Following Friday's premiere, the documentary will air again on the Cable Public Affairs Channel at 3 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 12) and 6 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 13). It will also be available on-demand on cpac.ca as of Monday.