An Interview with Rev. Jacob, President, Child Protect Canada Inc.
Winnipeg, December 27, 2005
Who are you?
Started in 2002, we are an organization that brings awareness to the political and health arenas about ongoing cases of child abuse. We have documented evidence of children continuing to be abused in spite of safeguards already in place. We want to help those children now, while they are still alive. We believe that every child is like a whole universe. We need to act as if a child's life depends on us.
Why should we do this?
There appears to be no accountability. There are many decisions made by protection agencies that put children into harm's way and keeps them there. When questioned, people in position of trust often say, "It's a private matter". We believe that "It's a private matter" is not a reason to kill children.
Where do you operate?
We will operate across Canada and around the world. Right now we are active in Winnipeg and Toronto.
What do you want to do?
We bring awareness to the political and health arenas to act as if a child's life depends on us. We want to set up a commission to investigate why children are left in situations of abuse for so long, when there are already safeguards in place. We have many documented examples and those children continue to suffer while the rest of us stand by. Some of them will die before any action is taken.
We want politicians to promise that when elected, they will set up a judicial inquiry with full power to subpoena and lay charges. Putting children into harms way is a crime against humanity issue. And under our own Canadian Charter of Rights children have a right to be protected from the crimes of child abuse of any kind.
How do you plan to do all this?
On the political level, we plan to have politicians make a promise under a "promise is a promise" campaign so that parliament and provincial legislatures should act to bring changes that save children's lives. We are not a protection agency. We want to bring accountability to those agencies.
On the promotional level, we are in the process of setting up a web site, and have our first newsletter ready to go out in January 2007. We also have a national net work of concerned community leaders and private individuals to take up the job of raising awareness.
What would you be able to do if a particular new case came to your attention?
We would bring awareness to those responsible through immediate contact, while protecting the privacy of the child's identity.
To: yjacob@childprotectcanadainc.com
Subject:
"where can you go to make children's aid stand up and help??
I'm not sure where we stand nor how we can help my daughter...What can be done to make them stand up for her??? I'm tired of seeing her fall through the cracks...What path can I take to help her? Any kind of assistance would be greatly appreciated." Walt W.
"I hope you continue to do this very important work to protect children." Maria M.
(From mom who protected herself and her children from repeated physical abuse from her husband. A husband who was charged and who went to jail because of documented abuse; the abuser who now has custody of the children.)
"I am very glad you are doing this very important work and I am telling everyone I know that they should go to your petitions and give added voice to changes in accountability necessary in the protection of children and our health system."
Additional Comments: "I personally had serious suspicions of sexual abuse of a Mother to her daughter reported to childrens aid and social services with no follow up on their behalf even though the Mother was very emotionally unstable."
Additional Comments: "it is known that many long term facilities used the millions of dollars given them to increase staffing for other purposes. They hired many staff casually to make it seem on the books that they had hired staff, but actually did nothing to increase staff at all. The casual staffing left on their own for lack of shifts." Celia G.
