E-mail Campaign Will Use The Internet To Help Prevent The Abuse of Young People
(November 19, 2002) - Today has been declared World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. To help stop the cycle of abuse and violence that devastates so many young lives, the Canadian Red Cross is launching an email campaign to send important information to Canadian youth.
RespectED, the Canadian Red Cross violence and abuse prevention service, bases its work on the premise that developing knowledge and understanding among young people is one of the most effective ways of preventing all forms of abuse. Early this morning, several members of the RespectED team began sending an email message to their contacts.
The message contains a clip-and-save card for youth that details the inherent rights guaranteed all young people by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Information on the responsibility of adults for protecting children is also included. Recipients are asked to forward the message to their personal network of family, friends and acquaintances, with special attention to getting it into young hands.
"Information is the first line of defense against abuse," explains Judi Fairholm, National Manager of the RespectED service. "When youth understand that they have rights, and what some of those rights are, they are more likely to seek help when they need it. We hope to get this message into literally thousands of hands by tomorrow."
Tomorrow-November 20-is the National Day of the Child in Canada, which celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Signed at the U.N. in 1989 and ratified by all but two countries in the world, the Convention gives those under age 18 basic human rights. "This is a fairly revolutionary idea in the historical treatment of young people. Not very long ago in many cultures and countries, children had no rights before adulthood-they were property," Fairholm notes, adding, "This is still considered true in many cultures and many households."
Unfortunately, having rights and knowing about them are two different things. This was illustrated in yesterday's news that Leger Marketing survey found less than half of Canadians could name even one right guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"It's critical that young people know they should be treated with respect for their human dignity-and that they understand other young people have rights that also must be respected," Fairholm says. "Every day in communities around the globe and in Canada, the rights of children and youth are violated. Children are hurt, even tortured, by those they should be able to trust; they are exploited and sold. Sometimes, their very right to life is taken away through horrific violence."
In fact, a recent World Health Organization report indicated that violence claims 1.6 million lives worldwide every year, while millions more suffer physical, mental and sexual abuse behind closed doors. The report recommended a dramatic increase in prevention programming aimed at young people.
RespectED's leadership in prevention programming has drawn international interest in recent months. In addition to public outreach and information campaigns, RespectED offers educational presentations and workshops to youth and adults who work with youth in a wide variety of subject areas, including child/youth maltreatment, bullying, abuse in sport, teen dating violence and child sexual abuse. The service has reached over a million youth since its inception in the 1980s.
"We know that primary prevention through education helps to protect children and youth," Fairholm asserts. "We hope this email campaign will carry on well beyond today and tomorrow, informing young people and adults throughout the country, and serving as another stepping stone in the battle to make every young person safe from abuse."
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For more information or to arrange an interview:
Leslie Vryenhoek,
Public Affairs, RespectED
Phone: (204) 982-7359;
email: leslie.vryenhoek@redcross.ca
