February 26, 2004

The Honourable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer
Minister of Canadian Heritage
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Minister:

I am writing on behalf of Beyond Borders Inc. a volunteer organization with a mandate to help alleviate the sexual exploitation of children. Beyond Borders is an affiliate of ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) with headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. As the new Minister of Canadian Heritage, I am contacting you to ensure your awareness of the Canadian Government’s involvement in the production of a television program entitled Red Light Districts that, until recently, aired on The Outdoor Life Network.

This program is hosted by Toronto resident, D. Garnet Harding, who visits various countries, including Thailand and Germany, for the purpose of providing instruction on how to acquire the services of prostitutes. It is a show promoting what is commonly referred to as ‘sex-tourism’. The host is shown vibrantly walking through ‘red light districts’ while enthusiastically counseling viewers on how to effectively and efficiently obtain the services of prostitutes.

Of particular concern is an episode taped in Pattaya, Thailand, a beach resort that is infamous for the commercial sexual exploitation of very young women and children. The host touts Pattaya as a sex paradise where, “every bar here is filled with bar girls who for a few baht will provide warm, willing companionship through the hot, steaming night of this sexual oasis”. Included are scenes of very young prostitutes, each bearing a number, and dancing for male patrons in a bar. As the host gives tips on negotiating a price, he causally points out that the numbering system makes it easy to pick which girl you want. I encourage you to view this program and will provide you a copy of the aforementioned episode if necessary.

Of particular concern to Beyond Borders is that many of the film clips in Red Light Districts appear to have been taken with hidden cameras and possibly without the consent of the young women involved. Some scenes from the show that involve potentially very graphic pornographic content have been edited and distorted. The whereabouts of the uncut versions of the program, and the state in which this material entered into Canada, is not known. It is for this reason we are sending this letter to the Minister of Justice and alerting the Commissioner of the RCMP.

Without dwelling on the moral and ethical issues regarding the promotion of commercial sexual exploitation in a desperately impoverished country, it is the belief of Beyond Borders that this program is unlawful as it essentially counsels viewers on how to engage in criminal activity. Prostitution in Thailand, however abundant, is a crime. Also, Canada has an extraterritorial law that prohibits Canadians from sexually exploiting children abroad. Very young girls clad in school girl uniforms were shown in the segment on street prostitution!

At the end of the show, among the credits, a sizable Canadian flag ‘logo’ used by the Canadian Government is prominently displayed. It appears the Canadian Government has somehow ‘endorsed’ the production of this program via some form of financial support, possibly tax credits. Needless to say, Beyond Borders is extremely embarrassed, as no doubt the Members of your Government will be, by the Canadian Government’s involvement in this production. Our organization is compelled to ensure that this matter is fully addressed by the Government.

In addition to the possible criminality of this production, Canada has an obligation to fulfill the commitment this country made more than six years ago at the First World Conference in Stockholm to fight against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. Under the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Optional Protocol and the ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, states are legally bound to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation.

As you may appreciate, thousands, upon thousands, of people are currently being exploited in the Thai sex trade, and many of these people are children. Those who are not were most often initiated into what is really sexual slavery as children. Sex with prostitutes in Pattaya is synonymous with sex with children.

While it appears that The Outdoor Life Network has discontinued this program after receiving some opposition to its content, there is no assurance that it will not resurface at a later date or on another network. Nor is there any assurance that any unedited versions of this production will not appear on the internet or elsewhere.

If indeed the production of this program did receive Federal Government financial support via tax credits, then Beyond Borders would like a review of the guidelines used to determine such financial allocations. Moreover, Beyond Borders would like full transparency regarding the people and organizations receiving such tax credits and the amounts being received. Beyond Borders appreciates your attention to this matter and our organization looks forward to a response from you regarding the precise nature of the Canadian Government’s involvement in the production of Red Light Districts and of the actions to be pursued by the Government to remedy this situation.

Sincerely,

Rosalind Prober
President
Beyond Borders

Barbara Barnett-Fontaine
Member responsible for sex tourism
Beyond Borders

cc The Honourable Paul Martin
Prime Minister
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

The Honourable Jean Augustine
Minister of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women)
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

The Honourable Reg Alcock
President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Honourable Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Mr. Giuliano Zaccardelli
Commissioner, RCMP
1200 Vanier Parkway
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R2

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Les Terrasses de la Chaudiere
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage
Hull, Quebec J8B 4B1

Outdoor Life Network
Director of Programming
9 Channel Nine Court
Scarborough, Ontario M1S 4B5

Mr. Robert Soucy
Canadian Audio-visual Certification Office
4th Floor – 100 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0M5

Ms. Carmen Madrinan
Executive Director
ECPAT International
328 Phayathai Road
Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400
Thailand

Mr. Andrew McAlister
Ambassador
15th Floor – Abdulrahim Place
990 Rama 1V Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Thailand

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