The Case Of Marleen Bird

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Introduction Marleen bird was a 50-year-old aboriginal woman from a northern reserve in Saskatchewan. Bird suffered from substance abuse issues and homelessness. In 2014 Bird was viciously attacked and set on fire in a parking lot in Prince Albert Saskatchewan. As a result of the attack Bird lost both of her legs and much of her eyesight (Canadian Press, 2017). Bird suffered from years of victimization due to the injuries she suffered from the attack, the constant news articles reporting on the attack and the subsequent trails. There were also many people who suffered from secondary victimization as well Bird suffered secondary victimization throughout the trail of her attacker. Victim Profile/Background Marlene Bird was born on the Montreal …show more content…

Bird was brutally sexually assaulted and then set on fire in a dark parking lot. She then woke up in a hospital in Edmonton Alberta after having to been flown their due to the extent of her injuries (McCue, 2017). Bird woke up in a hospital have lost much of the vision in her eyes and woke up to realize that both of her legs had been amputated due to the severity of the burns. The impact of the assault committed against Bird lasted for years. She had to re-learn how to do many things in her life now without the use of her legs, and hardly any vision in her eyes (McCue, 2017). Not only was bird sexually assaulted but she had the free will to do simple tasks like walking and doing basic human needs as a result of the attack. Bird woke up every single morning realizing the effects of the attack and the victimization that it caused her. Not only that but the psychological trauma she would have suffered from because of the attack at the tasks she was no longer able to complete by herself (McCue, …show more content…

The burn injuries that resulted in the amputation of both of her legs were not one that could be overcome very quickly. Bird had to completely relearn how to do most common tasks that many people may take for granted. She suffers from psychological issues regarding the attack for many years and even though she stated she forgave her attacker Leslie Black, she was still extremely angry with him from what he had caused her to suffer (Deibert, 2017). Many people said that even after the attack it did not change who she was, she was still a friendly and generous person even after it (Deibert, 2017). Unfortunately, Bird was not able to fully heal from the physical and psychological trauma from the attack as she passed away in a hospital in 2017 from multiple organ failures (Deibert, 2017). The only positive outcome from the healing was the fact bird did not change as a person, and she was able to forgive her attack for the heinous crimes that he committed against