Representing the Silent
Some Canadians (and others) tell their wives and kids they are off on business or away on a golfing trip with friends when, in fact, they are heading to Asia on a sex tourism vacation. Many of them hunt for desperate poverty stricken teenagers dressed up as young women and marketed through the neon and glitter of the clubs and bars of Asia that almost make it seem like this is some sort of legitimate, if seedy, business…almost.
Others however go to locations with no such pretense. They hunt small kids… very small kids. They travel around the world to locations like Cambodia where the children are unprotected and their deeds will be undiscovered… they think! So often they don’t realize they have been observed, their actions documented, and their victims known.
There are few things more rewarding than representing such helpless children by acting as witness to their suffering, giving voice to that which they so often can’t yet express, to carrying their message to those in power who have a heart to hear and to help. Monday, March 11, 2013, was such a day. I had the privilege, once again, of speaking to Canada’s Minister of Justice and being able to represent “the Silent”. How freeing, along with about 10 other Police and Social Service agencies, to speak with those who make strides to protect children both domestically and internationally.
Minister Nicholson both in the more public meeting today and in previous private conversation so clearly expresses his concern for victims left in the trail of destruction that follows the predator. His words, like those of Joy Smith, (our pioneering abolitionist MP) repeat the call for justice. And their words are backed up by the legislation they bring forward. We have discussed general principles and issues around child protection. We have also, privately, talked about specific cases, specific events and specific individuals – by name. There is something cleansing about taking the deeds of darkness and exposing them to light of day. My expectation is that there will be more than just talk. Canadians going to destroy the lives of innocent kids in Cambodia are nowhere near as anonymous as they think.
God knows every deed and every individual and He continues to expose that which is hidden. It is my privilege to introduce such activities and individuals that torment little lives, and so disgrace Canada, to a motivated and receptive Minister of Justice. Have you ever thought about that job title… “The Minister of Justice”. We all have a responsibility to administer justice among those around us but we need to pray particularly for Rob Nicholson – the man who holds the title. I hope I served the kids of Cambodia well that day.