OTTAWA - The federal government needs to take the lead in fighting child exploitation in Canada starting with a national databank on the problem, a Senate committee said Thursday.
"Canadian children who are being sexually exploited, or are at risk of being sexually exploited, do not all have sufficient access to the services that could help them," the committee wrote in a report prepared after two years of study.
"Those currently working to help these children could benefit from co-ordinated efforts and shared expertise. The Government of Canada could show leadership in this area by facilitating the sharing of experiences and best practices amongst various stakeholders."
Members of the Senate human rights committee unanimously renewed an unheeded call from 2007 to name a parliamentary Children's Commissioner to represent the interests of the country's youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
That commissioner would ensure the government was taking effective steps to follow and address such issues as child abuse, child prostitution and child pornography, and make sure Canada was fulfilling its duties under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Liberal MP Marc Garneau has prepared a private member's bill calling for a Children's Commissioner, but it has yet to come before the Commons for debate.
The senators also emphasized the gravity of the problem of sexual exploitation in First Nations and Inuit communities. The committee heard that aboriginal children, who make up five per cent of the Canadian population, represent half of all cases of sexual exploitation.
Vast numbers of aboriginal children are living in the welfare system or on the streets. Some come from families where their relatives were abused in the past, including by the residential school system.
The committee recommended the federal government help First Nations and Inuit communities research the issue and then to provide services locally.
"Canada is presently failing to get many aboriginal children the help they need. The Government of Canada must rise to this challenge by first and foremost, finding ways to improve the lives of aboriginal children so as to reduce their particular vulnerability to sexual exploitation," the committee wrote.
The senators had originally planned to travel the country hearing from groups and individuals who deal with the exploitation of women, but decided instead to expedite the publishing of the report.
They said the government shouldn't waste any time in addressing the issue. The committee's 2007 report, which focused on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, produced little in the way of concrete action.
"The committee urges the Government of Canada to improve data collection and research at a national level but not to use this as a basis for delaying taking action that is immediately required to help Canada's children who are being or are vulnerable to being sexually exploited," the senators wrote.
"The guiding principles and the key areas for action have been identified; it is time for the Government of Canada to proceed, armed with sufficient resources and a desire to achieve results."
Origin
Source: Huff
"Canadian children who are being sexually exploited, or are at risk of being sexually exploited, do not all have sufficient access to the services that could help them," the committee wrote in a report prepared after two years of study.
"Those currently working to help these children could benefit from co-ordinated efforts and shared expertise. The Government of Canada could show leadership in this area by facilitating the sharing of experiences and best practices amongst various stakeholders."
Members of the Senate human rights committee unanimously renewed an unheeded call from 2007 to name a parliamentary Children's Commissioner to represent the interests of the country's youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
That commissioner would ensure the government was taking effective steps to follow and address such issues as child abuse, child prostitution and child pornography, and make sure Canada was fulfilling its duties under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Liberal MP Marc Garneau has prepared a private member's bill calling for a Children's Commissioner, but it has yet to come before the Commons for debate.
The senators also emphasized the gravity of the problem of sexual exploitation in First Nations and Inuit communities. The committee heard that aboriginal children, who make up five per cent of the Canadian population, represent half of all cases of sexual exploitation.
Vast numbers of aboriginal children are living in the welfare system or on the streets. Some come from families where their relatives were abused in the past, including by the residential school system.
The committee recommended the federal government help First Nations and Inuit communities research the issue and then to provide services locally.
"Canada is presently failing to get many aboriginal children the help they need. The Government of Canada must rise to this challenge by first and foremost, finding ways to improve the lives of aboriginal children so as to reduce their particular vulnerability to sexual exploitation," the committee wrote.
The senators had originally planned to travel the country hearing from groups and individuals who deal with the exploitation of women, but decided instead to expedite the publishing of the report.
They said the government shouldn't waste any time in addressing the issue. The committee's 2007 report, which focused on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, produced little in the way of concrete action.
"The committee urges the Government of Canada to improve data collection and research at a national level but not to use this as a basis for delaying taking action that is immediately required to help Canada's children who are being or are vulnerable to being sexually exploited," the senators wrote.
"The guiding principles and the key areas for action have been identified; it is time for the Government of Canada to proceed, armed with sufficient resources and a desire to achieve results."
Origin
Source: Huff
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