About Us
Beyond Borders is a non-political, non-religious volunteer organization which advances the rights of children to be free from abuse and exploitation without regard to race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
In August of 1996 Canadian government delegates, as well as representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), were invited to participate in the first World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm, Sweden. Canada went into the conference with the belief that it was Canadian offenders committing acts against foreign children who should be of concern. What soon became evident however, was that there are many Canadian children who are victims of exploitation who urgently required our attention as well. Children who are beyond borders and are being abused and neglected by foreigners, family members, and the system that was created to protect them. The mechanisms in place to assist them were only making matters worse -- the policies within each government were as complex as the regulations between countries.
Two members of the Canadian delegation decided to do something about this problem and help these children in critical situations. Rosalind Prober, an official observer from Manitoba invited by the Canadian government, and Mark Erik Hecht, a children's rights activist from an international human rights agency, created a new NGO to bring global justice to children everywhere.
In September 1999 Beyond Borders was granted affiliate status with ECPAT International. The campaign to End Child Prostitution, Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes operates in 70 countries around the world. Their common goal is the elimination of all forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Currently, Mark Erik Hecht sits as the North American representative on the ECPAT International Board of Directors.
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Resource
Centre:
Beyond Borders acts as a resource centre for Canadians and internationally
through its website and volunteer legal team on children’s rights
issues.
Monitoring
of Court Cases:
Beyond Borders legal team and directors monitor child sexual
exploitation cases in Canada and internationally to provide information
if child human rights violations occur.
Presentations/Conferences:
Beyond Borders gives presentations across the country to all types of
groups including government and holds conferences on all issues involving
child sexual exploitation, Internet, emerging technologies and the value
of volunteerism
National
Hotline:
Beyond Borders was one of the founders of Canada’s national hotline www.cybertip.ca which takes reports on online sexual
exploitation of children. Beyond Borders sits on its advisory board
Referrals:
Beyond Borders makes referrals to people enquiring about reporting
crimes and needing information on all issues dealing with sexual exploitation
including legal referrals, government and court referrals, counseling
and self help groups referrals
Training:
Beyond Border’s legal team provides training on child
protection to international organizations who deal with children in
vulnerable circumstances in foreign countries
Travel
and Tourism:
Beyond Borders provides expertise, training materials, brochures
and presentations to travel and tourism organizations, in order to facilitate
their signing an International Code of Conduct to train staff on child
sex tourism and take prevention measures against this crime
Newsletter:
Beyond Borders publishes an educational newsletter twice yearly.
Prevention/
Awareness Initiatives:
Beyond Borders provides speakers to universities and schools
and provides educational material, brochures, publications and legal
information to facilitate research and enable those working to prevent
child sexual exploitation to have the latest information
Media
Award:
To promote public awareness to prevent child sexual exploitation Beyond
Borders, funded by Booth Dennehy Law Firm, has a national media award
given out once a year to a journalist who has produced either in writing
or on video, material that has made the public more aware of the scourge
of child sexual exploitation
Youth
Training and Mentoring:
Beyond Borders is mandated to involve youth in our work giving
youth full status on our boards, supplying youth with many opportunities
to do research or speaking engagements, present at conferences and to
government.
Community
Awards/Recognition:
Beyond Borders holds events to honour those who have made a difference
for children.
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Beyond Borders is building a Legal Defence Fund to help children impacted by the following:
Sex
Tourism:
Beyond Borders works
to ensure that Canada's 1997 sex tourism legislation is implemented
and fully enforced.
Child
Pornography:
Beyond Borders fights
the rapid proliferation of all forms of child pornography. Beyond Borders
intervened in the Supreme Court case of R.v. Sharpe and is working to
have the new exemptions to the law removed to ensure that child pornographers
do not use these loopholes to facilitate the commission of crimes against
children.
Age
of Consent:
Beyond Borders lobbies
to raise the age of consent to sexual activity to age 16. Currently,
by the age of 14, children in Canada can consent to sexual relations
with adults who are not in a position of trust or authority over them.
Work still needs to be done so that sexual abuse is always regarded
as something criminal and not consensual.
Sexually
Exploited Youth:
Beyond
Borders is determined to see that children are not referred to as prostitutes
and are not used as commercial objects.
Internet
Luring:
Beyond
Borders has successfully lobbied for new Internet luring legislation
in Canada. Beyond Borders will continue to monitor all prosecutions
of sex offenders using the "information super highway".
Child
Trafficking:
Beyond
Borders campaigns with its ECPAT partners to ensure that Canada does
not provide a safe haven for perpetrators of this cross-jurisdictional
crime.
National
Registry of Sex Offenders:
Beyond
Borders worked to establish a national registry for sexual offenders
who now cannot move anonymously across Canada without informing law
enforcement of their whereabouts. Beyond Borders works to allow the
public limited access to the proposed registry to permit Canadians to
know which dangerous and high risk offenders are living in their neighbourhood.
Conditional
Sentences for Sex Offenders:
Beyond
Borders lobbies governments to end the sentencing of dangerous pedophiles
to short term incarcerations in their homes.
Children
in Pornography:
Beyond Borders takes
legal action in the courts so that anonymous children in pornography
collections have a voice via a victim impact statement when those who
are found guilty of collecting their abuse images are sentenced.
Child
Brides:
Beyond Borders works to prevent under-aged girls from being
"married" to older multi-married men in cults and polygamous
relationships.
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Advocate for vulnerable children who can not speak for themselves.
Monitor the prosecution and sentencing of individuals charged with crimes against children, including crimes such as sex tourism and Internet pedophilia.
Educate the public on the dangers of the Internet, and propose practical solutions on ways to ensure that no child will be harmed via this medium.
Raise awareness to the plight of children exploited in the sex trade and support initiatives to have all forms of sexual acitivity with children regarded as child abuse.
Research and coordinate with organizations and agencies currently interested in the creation of an international criminal court, but who are also concerned with global justice for children.
Intervene in court cases that involve issues of child sexual exploitation and child pornography.
Assist international law enforcement and families involved in cross border cases involving child sexual exploitation.
Work to establish a national mechanism for assisting sexually exploited children.
Help victims entering the criminal justice system by monitoring their cases and speaking out when injustice occurs.
Empower, enable and encourage young students and youth to study child sexual exploitation and work to prevent these crimes.
Lobby government for improved laws to prevent child sexual exploitation.
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Co-Founders:
Rosalind
Prober,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mark Erik Hecht, Ottawa, Ontario
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