3 in 4 B.C. boys on street sexually exploited by women
VANCOUVER - Canada's largest study into the sexual exploitation of street kids and runaways has shattered some myths about who the abusers might be - with the most surprising finding being that many are women seeking sex with young males.
"Some youth in each gender were exploited by women with more than three out of four (79 per cent) sexually exploited males reporting exchanging sex for money or goods with a female," said Elizabeth Saewyc, associate professor of nursing at the University of British Columbia and principal investigator for the study conducted by Vancouver's McCreary Centre Society.
"I must admit it wasn't something we were expecting." More..
Why boys are in trouble
Boys have been painted as the bad guys in the push to encourage girls to succeed, leaving many young men feeling confused and alienated, wondering what they did wrong
The Associated Press
January 5, 1999
According to psychologist and author William Pollack, 'sports are the one arena in which many of society's traditional strictures about masculinity are often loosened, allowing boys to experience parts of themselves they rarely experience elsewhere.'
When Harvard Medical School psychologist William Pollack administered a test to a group of 150 teenaged boys a few years ago, the results were shocking. More..
Canada's Parliament broke its 1989 promise to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000
Campaign 2000, a network of over 85 national, regional and community organizations fights on to end poverty in Canada and to hold the Federal Government accountable.
Since 1989, the number of children living in poverty has increased by 402,000 and child poverty is clearly a signal of the increasing hardship for Canadian families
Infidelity 'is natural'
BBC, U.K., September 25, 1998
Females 'stray to gather the best possible genes for their offspring'
Infidelity may be natural according to studies that show nine out of 10 mammals and birds that mate for life are
unfaithful.
Experts found animals that fool around are only following the urges of biology.
New studies using genetic testing techniques show that even the most
apparently devoted of partners often go in search of the sexual company of strangers.
Females stray to gather the best possible genes for their offspring, while males are driven to father as many and as
often as possible.
The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law
2nd English Edition
February, 2007
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) More..
Committee to Repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada
The Repeal 43 Committee is a national, voluntary committee of lawyers, paediatricians, social workers and educators formed in 1994 to advocate repeal of section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
It is an offence under our Criminal Code to use force against anyone without their consent. This right to personal security is the most fundamental of all human rights. It is a protection against assault that all adults take for granted.
Children do not have the full benefit of this protection because section 43 of the Criminal Code justifies hitting children for disciplinary or "correction" reasons. This violates a child's right to the equal protection and benefit of the law guaranteed by our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
It contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child. It violates a child's dignity and shows a lack of respect. It
can lead to serious physical and emotional harm.
More ..
Baby Dies From Circumcision
Five-week-old infant died after he was circumcised at Penticton hospital
THE PROVINCE
Vancouver, British Columbia
August 29, 2002
The Kamloops coroner is investigating the case of an infant who died last week from complications following his circumcision at Penticton Regional Hospital.
The five-week-old child was released after the procedure last Tuesday morning, but his parents went back to talk to the doctor later that day with concerns about bleeding. They returned home, but the situation worsened overnight, forcing them to rush the child back to hospital early Wednesday.
The infant was flown by air ambulance to Vancouver, where he died last Thursday in B.C. Children's Hospital.
"It certainly seems to be unusual," coroner Ian McKichan said yesterday. "It's definitely something that warrants an investigation, because it's a totally unexpected sort of death."
Deaths following circumcision are almost unheard of, but like any operation, bleeding and infection are the greatest dangers.
The case raises questions about an increasingly rare operation which stirs controversy in some circles.
"The bottom line is that circumcision is becoming a less-common procedure," said Dr. Morris Van Andel, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. "It's no longer an insured service -- it's considered an option. That makes it all the more distressing when you hear about something like this."
According to Penticton hospital officials, the operation to remove the foreskin from the child's penis was conducted by a physician with 16 years' practice in British Columbia. More..
Virtual Library of Newspaper Articles 2008
Under 18, and pregnant by design
Globe and Mail, by Siri Agrell, June 26, 2008
For many people, the narrative of teenage pregnancy seems fairly set: A young girl has sex, misses her period, takes a surreptitious pregnancy test and receives the shocking news.
She then must decide whether to terminate the pregnancy or carry the child to term, both options often devastating to deal with. But there is another scenario that is alive and well, despite decades of access to sex education and contraception: Some teenage girls welcome the news.
"I think one thing that people don't realize is that there's definitely some girls [who] intend to get pregnant," said Sharon Lorber, a social worker who runs the Young Families Program at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Over the past 25 years, the percentage of planned teen pregnancies has stayed steady. Last week, Time magazine reported that 17 girls, none older than 16, are expecting babies at Gloucester High School in a small fishing town outside Boston.
While news of the group focused on contested reports of a "pregnancy pact," in which the girls allegedly planned to get pregnant together, the story offers insight into a group of young women who see pregnancy as a calling, not a mistake. More..
Surrogate mothers: Outsourcing pregnancy in India
The practice of renting a womb and getting a child is like outsourcing pregnancy. This trade's business volume is estimated to be around $ 500 million and the numbers of cases of surrogacy are believed to be increasing at galloping rate in India.
MeriNews, By Joseph Gathia, June 23, 2008
India - THE MINISTRY of Women and Child Development is examining the issue of ‘surrogate motherhood’ in India for bringing up a comprehensive legislation. But surrogate motherhood - as an arrangement, in which a woman carries and bears a child for another person or persons, but takes no ownership of the child born - has also raised moral, ethical, social and legal questions about both the woman and the ‘commissioned baby’.
To understand the issues involved, let us see the case of Surekha. She is seven-months pregnant like any other expecting mothers, except that the child she is carrying isn’t her own. When Surekha gives birth to this child in India, the newborn will be immediately be handed over to its biological parents, Non Resident Indians (NRIs) who live in Canada and who have been unable to bear a child on their own. In return for renting her womb, Surekha will be paid one lakh rupees.
This practice of renting a womb and getting a child is like outsourcing pregnancy. The business volume of this trade is estimated to be around $ 500 million and the numbers of cases of surrogacy are believed to be increasing at galloping rate. More..
Canada's largest daily newspaper
PARENTAL LEAVE
More fathers embracing parenthood, study finds More fathers embracing parenthood, study finds
Fathers increasingly hands-on, StatsCan reports June 24, 2008
Toronto Star, by Andrea Gordon, Family Issues reporter, June 24, 2008
More Canadian fathers are embracing parenthood and taking time off to care for their young children, according to a Statistics Canada study released yesterday.
The number of dads taking parental leave jumped in 2006, led by fathers in Quebec, who are entitled to five weeks' paternity leave and better paid benefits. The study found that more than half of eligible Quebec dads took time off in 2006 after the province introduced its own parental leave program, compared to 32 per cent in 2005.
Elsewhere in Canada, one in 10 dads took parental leave. That's up sharply from only 3 per cent eight years ago, though it has barely increased since 2001, when federal parental leave was boosted to 35 weeks that could be shared between parents. However, the study found other evidence of more hands-on fathering, including longer leaves, which averaged 17 weeks in 2006 versus 11 weeks in 2005. As well, 55 per cent of dads reported taking unpaid leave or vacation after the birth of a child. More..
The daddy shift
Fathers across Canada are taking more time off to care for their children as the idea of paternity leave gains greater acceptance. Rebecca Dube reports
Globe and Mail, by REBECCA DUBE, June 24, 2008
A few weeks ago, Alex Smith had a revelation: He doesn't need to wear a belt any more.
He had grown used to the daily ritual of strapping on his BlackBerry or cellphone, the tools of his trade as a communications officer with the federal government.
But now Mr. Smith answers only to calls of "Papa."
"It's so liberating," he says.
Alex Smith says his six-month paternity leave with son Noah-David and infant daughter Nellie-Rose is 'the greatest gift I've ever had.' More..
Rights bill is a model
BEV SHIPLEY PRAISES WALPOLE INITIATIVE
THE DAILY NEWS, By BY BOB BOUGHNER, June 23, 2008 Chatham, ON
A children's bill of rights adopted last year by the Walpole Island First Nation should serve as a model for communities everywhere, says Bev Shipley.
The Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP, speaking at Saturday's second annual Families First Fair, commended all those who had a role in its development and the chief and council for their wisdom in adopting it on behalf of the community.
"This bill of rights will serve the children of your community well now and long into the future,'' he said.
Shipley said National Aboriginal Solidarity Day is a day for all Canadians to celebrate the cultures and traditions of aboriginal people whether they are First Nation, Metis or Inuit.
"This year marks 400 years of common history between Aboriginal people and the first settlers,'' said the MP. More..
2 women arrested in 'unbearable abuse' of 5-year-old boy
The mother surrendered to the LAPD on torture charges after a public appeal was issued to find her. Her live-in girlfriend was arrested a day later.
Los Angeles Times, USA, By Ari B. Bloomekatz and Joel Rubin, Staff Writers, June 15, 2008
The mother of a 5-year-old-boy and her live-in girlfriend have been arrested in connection with what authorities describe as "unbearable physical and psychological abuse" of the child, police said Saturday.
The mother, Starkeisha Brown, 24, turned herself in to the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Street Division station late Friday night after officers made a public plea for help in finding the women and released their pictures. Brown was being held without bail on charges of torture.
The other woman, Krystal Matthews, 21, was arrested Saturday by detectives when she showed up for her appointment at the county Department of Children and Family Services. She was being held on $100,000 bail on charges of willful harm or injury to a child.
Police said both women have a history of violence.
The boy, who was in guarded condition at a local hospital, was rescued Monday by a stranger who found him abandoned and called authorities.
On that same day, the two women had an appointment with the Department of Children and Family Services and had brought the healthy child of a mutual friend and tried to pass him off as Brown's son. More..
All fathers, their love and devotion, deserve recognition on their day
All dads freely place themselves in positions that require them to give constantly of themselves while expecting little or nothing in return.
Vancouver Sun, Saturday, June 14, 2008
The traditional view of parenting roles sees mothers as caregivers and nurturers, and fathers as breadwinners and authority figures.
However, with the changing roles of men and women at home and in the workplace, this traditional view no longer reflects reality. For some families, it never did. More..
3 in 4 B.C. boys on street sexually exploited by women
Vancouver Sun, Gerry Bellett , Canwest News Service, Tuesday, May 27, 2008
VANCOUVER - Canada's largest study into the sexual exploitation of street kids and runaways has shattered some myths about who the abusers might be - with the most surprising finding being that many are women seeking sex with young males.
"Some youth in each gender were exploited by women with more than three out of four (79 per cent) sexually exploited males reporting exchanging sex for money or goods with a female," said Elizabeth Saewyc, associate professor of nursing at the University of British Columbia and principal investigator for the study conducted by Vancouver's McCreary Centre Society.
"I must admit it wasn't something we were expecting." More..
Female Teacher's licence revoked following sex convictions
Ottawa Citizen, Andrew Seymour, Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A Cornwall-area teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student has had her teacher's licence revoked.
The Ontario College of Teachers withdrew the teaching licence of Jennifer Dorland, 42, earlier this month after finding her guilty of eight counts of professional misconduct under the Ontario College of Teachers Act.
Ms. Dorland, who now goes by the name Jennifer Toews, pleaded no contest to the accusations. She did not attend the May 6 hearing or have a lawyer make arguments on her behalf.
In their decision, the three-member disciplinary panel found that Ms. Dorland's actions "betrayed the trust of students, parents and the public." More..
All fathers, their love and devotion, deserve recognition on their day
All dads freely place themselves in positions that require them to give constantly of themselves while expecting little or nothing in return.
Vancouver Sun, Saturday, June 14, 2008
The traditional view of parenting roles sees mothers as caregivers and nurturers, and fathers as breadwinners and authority figures.
However, with the changing roles of men and women at home and in the workplace, this traditional view no longer reflects reality. For some families, it never did. More..
Female Flasher begs to be free
Second time she's been convicted
The Winnipeg Sun, SUN MEDIA, by DEAN PRITCHARD, May 29, 2008
A 21-year-old woman convicted for the second time of exposing herself in front of school children begged to be released from jail yesterday, claiming she has learned her lesson.
"I promise I won't do it again, I mean it this time," said the woman...
Police arrested the woman May 12 after she exposed her breasts to a passing truck at the intersection of St. John's Avenue and Charles Street, in plain view of a nine-year-old boy a short distance away.
"I didn't mean to do that in front of the kid, I didn't see him," the woman said.
At the time of her arrest, the woman was bound by a strict probation order in connection with a similar incident two months earlier.
The woman was standing across the street from an elementary school at 8:30 a.m. when she exposed her breasts to three passing school buses and dozens of children walking on the sidewalk, community prosecutor Susan Helenchilde told court. More..
Mom still cries over newborn's abduction from Sudbury hospital
CBC April 29, 2008
A mother whose day-old baby was abducted from a northern Ontario hospital last fall says she is still devastated by the incident and can't even pass the hospital without crying.
The woman, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, testified Tuesday at the sentencing hearing for the woman convicted in the case, Brenda Batisse.
Batisse has pleaded guilty to abduction after snatching the baby girl from the maternity ward of a hospital in the city of Sudbury on Nov. 1, 2007. More..
No Spank Day a hit
The Windsor Star, Trevor Wilhelm, Saturday, April 26, 2008
When you're trying to convince people not to hit their kids, it's sometimes best to use a gentle hand, or even some crayons.
That was the philosophy behind the No Spank Day Family Event on the weekend at Devonshire Mall.
The Windsor Essex Children's Aid Society put it on in the lead up to International No Spank Day on April 30. More..
Canada's largest daily newspaper
Apology to native people must end 'denial of truth'
An open letter on residential schools to the Prime Minister from Chief Phil Fontaine
Phil Fontaine, April 22, 2008
In the Oct. 16, 2007, Throne Speech, your government promised to apologize for residential schooling for First Nations, Métis and Inuit children which led to profound harms. Every expression and word of the apology will be of great importance to our peoples and will be carefully studied, as will its timing and place. After 150 years of waiting, nothing less than a complete, unencumbered and honest apology for this dark period in our shared history will do.
An apology acceptable to survivors must be offered in the House of Commons where the Prime Minister will address Parliament, the nation and the world. It must be an event as significant and meaningful as the apology to our brothers and sisters of the Stolen Generations of Australia, and our fellow Japanese Canadians. It must incorporate the ceremony and dignity that such a symbolic and historic occasion requires. The galleries must be filled with survivors, their families, as well as church and government representatives who will bear witness.
The content of the apology must end denial of truth and history. It must raise the awareness about the residential school policy and its disastrous consequences, admit that it was wrong, accept responsibility and provide us with solemn assurances that it will never happen again. More..
Person of interest indentified in discovery of dead baby
CBC News, Friday, April 18, 2008
Police have identified a "person of interest" in the discovery of the body of a baby boy dumped outside Edmonton, RCMP said Friday.
A man walking his dog west of Edmonton discovered the body of a dead baby in this wooded area Wednesday morning. More..
Government of British Columbia
NEWS RELEASE- For Immediate Release - April 14, 2008
32 NEW TRANSITION BEDS FOR HOMELESS YOUTH
VANCOUVER – Premier Gordon Campbell was joined by provincial and community partners today to celebrate a $5 million funding partnership for a major expansion to Covenant House Vancouver, a shelter and resource centre for homeless youth.
“The services provided by Covenant House make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of young, at-risk British Columbians every year,” said Campbell. “Transitional housing can be the turning point for homeless youth. This project will get more young people off the streets and into a secure environment while they get the help they need to plan for healthier futures.” More..
Circumcision "the unkindest cut of all"
The London Times, UK, by David Baker, March 24, 2008
Barbaric, mutilation, child abuse, freaks, nutters, obsessives. The language on both sides of the debate about infant male circumcision is not always temperate. Put together new-born boys, their penises, knives and two of the world's oldest religions and passions are likely to run high.
While last month saw the fifth International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, marking a fairly united global campaign against the practice in females, the arguments about the removal of a male infant's foreskin seem mired in misinformation, accusations and despair.
What is clear is that there are very few medical indications nowadays for choosing circumcision over other procedures. More..
Man finds son via at-home DNA test
Father of three sends to States for kit that confirms long-held suspicions
The Province, Vancouver, BC, by Cheryl Chan, Thursday, April 03, 2008
A Surrey man has discovered he has a teenage son after a do-it-yourself DNA paternity test confirmed a nagging 20-year-old suspicion. More..
Men of Courage bare sex abuse
Conference delves into victimization of men
Toronto Sun, by Tamara Cherry, Tuesday, March 18, 2008
It started as "hazing" at a military college in Ottawa.
The three men who sexually assaulted a teenaged Mike Church in 1957 said they were just giving him what he wanted. He was aroused, after all.
But for each of the three or four times a week Church was assaulted over the next nine months, he knew it was wrong. More..
Child support reform: Mums fuming
The Daily Telegraph, Australia, By Kelvin Bissett March 10, 2008
THE biggest overhaul of the nation's child support system in 20 years is just months away - and women's groups are fuming.
Between now and May, the 1.5 million parents with a financial relationship through the Child Support Agency are being notified by mail of their new payment arrangements, to take effect from July 1.
According to Sole Parents Union of Australia's Kathleen Swinbourne, most mums will be furious at the news they get in the post.
Stripped back to the basics, the reforms mean reduced payments to support children living with resident parents. And that is usually mums.
From July 1, child support payments will no longer be based on straight percentages of income from the non-resident parents, usually fathers.
Canada's largest daily newspaper
Canada's Arbour quits UN commissioner post
Former Supreme Court judge locked horns with U.S. over tactics in 'war on terror'
Toronto Star, March 08, 2008, by Olivia Ward Foreign Affairs Reporter
Canada's Louise Arbour is saying farewell to one of the world's toughest jobs: United Nations high commissioner for human rights.
"I am not quitting because of this pressure," Arbour told reporters in Geneva in advance of her announcement yesterday. "On the contrary, I have to resist the temptation to stay and confront it." More..
Canada's largest daily newspaper
Mother found guilty of drowning autistic daughter
The Toronto Star, March 01, 2008, By Peter Small, Courts Bureau
Xuan (Linda) Peng has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the drowning death of her 4-year-old autistic daughter Scarlett in a bathtub in the family home.
A Superior Court jury returned its verdict Saturday morning after two days of deliberations. More..
Press Release: Amnesty International - Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Experts Back NZ Initiative On Rights Education
Two Canadian researchers have backed an initiative aimed at ensuring children learn their human rights and responsibilities as New Zealand and global citizens, saying research suggests it will contribute to greater participation and engagement in school, and improved educational achievement.
Dr Katherine Covell and Dr Brian Howe from the Children's Rights Centre at Cape Breton University, Canada, are visiting New Zealand as part of Building Human Rights Communities in Education – a collaborative initiative involving schools and early childhood education centres, the Children's Commissioner, Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, Development Resource Centre and Peace Foundation. More..
Seven girls charged with assault in random swarming
Ottawa Citizen and other CanWest newspapers, February 22, 2008, by Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service
Seven teenage girls aged 12 to 16 have been charged with assault following a random gang-style swarming in London, Ont., earlier this month.
"Over the past few days, we' ve arrested and charged seven young offender females," London police Const. Amy Phillipo said Friday.
Police in this southwestern Ontario city say that on Feb. 2 at around 9:40 p.m., a 19-year-old woman, a 15-year-old boy and another boy were walking through a commercial area of town when they were approached by a "large group" of teenagers.
"The group approached the youth, surrounded and swarmed them," Phillipo said. "They assaulted the 15-year-old boy and stabbed him in the back." More..
N.B. woman ruled responsible in burning of baby's body
The Canadian Press, various newspapers and media throughout Canada, February 8, 2008
ST. STEPHEN, N.B. — A New Brunswick judge says a woman who burned and dismembered her newborn son is criminally responsible for her actions. more..
Canada's largest daily newspaper
Parents of baby left in snowbank make bail
Father 'under the impression' his wife would take child back inside the house
The Toronto Star, Toronto , ON, February 20, 2008, by Michele Henry Crime Reporter
The father of a baby boy abandoned in a snowbank Monday night was under the impression his estranged wife would take their child back inside her home after he sped away, his lawyer said today.
Anthony Tran, counsel for the father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his 6-month-old son, said his client never thought that his former common-law wife would abandon their child in the snow.
"He couldn't believe a mother would do this," Tran said. "No parent in their right mind would leave a baby outside - especially in that weather, especially on Family Day."
Maclean's
How to fix boys
January 9, 2008 by KATE FILLION
Let them start school later and, yes, let them fight and play with toy guns.
Not everyone believes boys are being let down by joyless, uncreative kindergartens. Some think girls are, too.
A dozen years ago, the hue and cry was about girls: girls were "silenced" at school, girls were tragic mini-Ophelias, in need of reviving. As it turned out, whatever other problems girls had, being "silenced" and "disadvantaged at school" were decidedly not among them. In fact, on most academic measures, girls outperform boys.
Hence, the new buzz: there's a crisis among boys. More..
