The parents of a teenaged girl who was swarmed, beaten and drowned in Victoria have received B.C.'s highest honour of promoting community safety and crime prevention.
Suman and Manjit Virk's 14-year-old daughter Reena Virk was killed in November 1997.
Since then, they have spoken in schools and at community events to draw attention to bullying while working to promote restorative justice.
"The Virks are the very embodiment of this lifetime achievement award," Solicitor General Kash Heed said after the couple received the Anthony J. Hulme Award of Distinction, which represents extraordinary lifetime contribution and commitment.
"They have drawn valuable lessons from their devastating personal tragedy that they share with young people in order to fight the scourge of bullying, and promote restorative justice to make British Columbia communities safer," Heed said.
Besides dealing with the loss of their daughter, the Virks have endured three trials involving a then 15-year-old girl who was convicted of murder.
Kelly Ellard is serving a life sentence and recently decided not to proceed with a parole hearing after the Supreme Court of Canada denied her request for a fourth trial.
Warren Glowatski, Ellard's co-accused, was granted six more months of day parole in June.
Glowatski was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years.
He was granted day parole in July 2007, and that parole is reviewed twice a year.
Three girls pleaded guilty and three more were convicted in the beating that preceded the murder, while Glowatski and Ellard were each convicted of second-degree murder.
