In VAL-D’OR JANUARY 23, 2020, the Director of the Department of Justice and Correctional Services of the Cree Nation Government, Donald Nicholls, presented at the Special Commission on the Sexual Exploitation of Minors.
The Select Committee on the Sexual Exploitation of Minors (Committee) was mandated to develop a portrait of the sexual exploitation of minors in Québec. The Select Committee asked representatives from the community, research, government and police sectors to table briefs to be used for “Consultations particulières et auditions publiques sur l’exploitation sexuelle des mineurs”. Through the 51 briefs deposited and the public hearings that followed, the Committee gained a greater understanding of the existing situation in order to identify effective measures of fighting sexual exploitation, to help minor victims cope and to support them as they rebuild their lives.
The public hearings were held in two parts. During the first part, the members of the Commission tackled the problem of the sexual exploitation of minors from several angles. They notably questioned the witnesses as to the role of the procurer and the client-abuser, to the continuum of service in the transition to adulthood, to the importance of raising awareness of everyone confronted with the phenomenon, and to education in sexuality with young people.
During the second part of the public hearings, the members of the Commission met with stakeholders on the ground and heard about the reality of cultural and indigenous communities, as the Committee recognizes that the dynamics of sexual exploitation of Indigenous youth are under-documented and often misunderstood and Indigenous women are overrepresented among victims of exploitation.
The Committee invited the Department of Justice of the Cree Nation Government to address specifically three points: firstly how to better promote denunciation by victims of procurers and client-abusers, secondly how to better meet the needs of victims of sexual exploitation in the Cree communities of Eeyou Istchee and finally, how to better promote the repression of client-abusers.
The Director of the Department, Donald Nicholls, outlined how traffickers, procurers and client-abusers exploit victims’ vulnerabilities. Indigenous youth and children fall victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking because they often find themselves in situations of extreme vulnerability. Mr. Nicholls emphasized the victims’ immediate needs for protection and care from service providers, the community and the competent authorities trained to that effect.
The Director of the DOJCS outlined in his presentation that since traffickers, procurers and client-abusers exploit victims’ vulnerabilities, victims need to be empowered, to reduce their vulnerabilities, therefore changing the power dynamics and helping them come forward and denounce their procurers and client-abusers. Education and awareness are key in this empowerment.
At the end of his presentation which lasted 20 minutes, the Director of Justice and Correctional Services of the Cree Nation Government stressed that addressing the sexual exploitation of youth will require a concerted effort from the Government and all stakeholders.
His recommendations included that:
- the Québec Government implement the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); and,
- the Government needed to implement the recommendations and calls for action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the Public Inquiry Commission on Relations between Indigenous Peoples and Certain Public Services in Québec (Viens Commission).
Mr. Nicholls stated that through the implementation of UNDRIP and these recommendations and calls for action, the proper conditions and circumstances will be set out to better address and hopefully put an end to the sexual exploitation of Indigenous youth.
To summarize the DOJCS’s position as presented by its Director, Mr. Nicholls, the Government must take appropriate measures to put an end to the culture of impunity and indifference in regard to indigenous women and girls involved in the sex industry. It must work at all levels to eliminate the fear and mistrust that stop indigenous women and girls who experience violence in the context of the sex industry from talking to the police.
The governmental entities and organizations involved in policing, justice, education, health and social services, and the media, must not turn a blind eye, but must take action to stop sexual exploitation of indigenous youth and children and protect those most vulnerable in the most culturally appropriate way.
You may find the brief presented by Mr. Nicholls, here.
