September 17, 2013
LONDON, Ontario – International Justice Mission (IJM) Canada is encouraged by yesterday’s announcement from Prime Minister Stephen Harper that reinforces Canada’s commitment to protecting society’s most vulnerable citizens, both in Canada and abroad.
The proposed amendments signal Canada’s resolve to take action against predators who travel to exploit children. The amendments include the introduction of new notification requirements for offenders on the National Sex Offenders Registry who travel outside Canada and better information-sharing measures between the police and border services officers to keep track of travelling sex offenders.
“IJM Canada has worked for more than a decade to protect society’s most vulnerable, including children, from exploitation. Sex offenders who travel abroad to exploit children do so with the assumption that they will not be held accountable for their actions. This encouraging step by government is one that helps ensure Canadians do not commit sexual offenses against children, and that those who do will be held to account to the fullest extent according to the law,” says Jamie McIntosh, IJM Canada’s Executive Director.
This step is one of many that will need to be taken to ensure that Canadians cease to travel overseas to perform sex acts with children. Earlier this year, IJM Canada launched a campaign calling upon Parliament to make the enforcement of Canada’s extraterritorial laws for sex tourism and human trafficking a priority. For more details on Stop It Together, visit www.IJM.ca/StopItTogether
About IJM
International Justice Mission Canada is a human rights organization that brings immediate relief to victims of sexual exploitation, slavery and violent oppression, in partnership with U.S.-based International Justice Mission (IJM). A multi-national team of lawyers and law enforcement professionals conduct criminal investigations and collect evidence to relieve victims and bring perpetrators to justice, and IJM social workers secure appropriate aftercare for victims of abuse. IJM’s multi-national staff works in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to ensure that the global poor are protected from violent forms of oppression by their countries’ own laws. IJM was founded by Gary Haugen who was the Officer in Charge of the U.N. investigation into the Rwandan genocide. IJM Canada was founded by Jamie McIntosh in 2002 and is located in London, Ontario.
For more information, contact:
Petra Bosma, Public Affairs Manager
Email: pbosma@ijm.ca
Phone: (519) 679-5030 x229
Website: www.ijm.ca