May 11, 2009

FIRST 'STOP CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AWARENESS WEEK' PROCLAIMED IN MANITOBA


Manitoba will continue to lead the way in creating public awareness and fighting the sexual exploitation of children with the launch of a public awareness week, Family Services and Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today.

“Children need our help and we’re going to be there for them,” said Mackintosh. “By launching this annual public awareness week, we want to make every Manitoban aware the problem can be addressed if we all work together.”

Manitoba recognizes this issue will require ongoing awareness and a continued commitment to highlight the issue of child sexual exploitation, so May 11 to 15 has been proclaimed Stop Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week, said the minister. A Stop Sex with Kids campaign will run on radio and TV throughout the week to raise awareness about Manitoba’s sexually exploited children. The campaign will also run on Winnipeg Transit vehicles through the month of May.

“The sexual exploitation of children is a growing problem and one that cannot be ignored. This dedicated week to raise awareness is an important step in the right direction,” said Lianna McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “We must not tolerate the abuse of children, and adults must take responsibility to prevent these crimes from happening. We encourage the public to learn more about the issue and what they can do to help reduce child victimization by visiting our website at www.protectchildren.ca.”

This targeted awareness campaign coincides with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s annual Missing and Exploited Children Conference (MECC) taking place May 12 to 14 and builds on the strong foundation of programs and resources introduced last December in Manitoba’s $2.4-million strategy to end child sexual exploitation called Tracia’s Trust, said Mackintosh. Supported by the Manitoba government, the MECC brings together law enforcement, social workers, educators and prosecutors for three days of intensive training in the areas of missing and exploited children including the detection and investigation of child victimization and Internet-related exploitation. Participants share their expertise, experiences and challenges with colleagues and investigate ways to better protect Canadian children.

During Manitoba’s first Stop Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week, Mackintosh today announced support for a total of 19 new specialized beds including 12 for transitional support for youth. A new four-bed specialized foster home in Winnipeg will be established for sexually exploited female youth and young adults who are transitioning out of child and family services care. Three new emergency foster-care beds will also be opened in a rural location for high-risk and sexually exploited children who might benefit from time away from the lure of street life in Winnipeg. These seven additional foster-care beds are an expansion of the current specialized foster-care program for sexually exploited children called Our Relatives Place, operated by Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc.

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Backgrounder

Since the December 2008 announcement of Tracia’s Trust, work has been underway on a number of initiatives including:
• High-risk victims training for more than 140 representatives of child welfare, police and community agencies in February 2009.
• A northern forum on Standing Together: Communities Taking Action Against Sexual Exploitation on March 24 and 25 in Thompson.
• Funding in 2009-10 for Kapaapako Miikiwaap Lodge Teachings. Training sessions have been scheduled in Manitoba for the spring and fall of this year.
• Annual funding of $280,000 for the Transition, Education and Resources for Females (TERF) Mentor Program in 2009-10.
• Program funding of $292,000 for Ka Ni Kanichihk’s Restoring the Sacred program – Student Buddy Support Service, a peer mentor training program for at-risk youth between the ages of 14 and 21 who are coming to Winnipeg to attend high school.
• Mandatory reporting of child pornography – another Canadian first – to increase police and child and family service (CFS) interventions.
• A new CFS prosecution strategy through an effort between police and child welfare to target predators who harbour runaways or otherwise interfere with children in care.
• StreetReach, a Winnipeg co-ordinated effort aimed at helping youth escape exploitation, preventing high-risk runaways from becoming exploited and better identifying predators, prostitution and drug houses. Partners involved are finalizing the program details for implementation in summer of 2009.