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Child Justice in Canada and the Four Ps: Protection, Prosecution, Prevention, and Participation

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Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the flaws in the Canadian legal system with respect to child rights, in the light of the three Ps set forth by former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler (2004–2006): Protection, Prosecution, and Prevention. Contrary to the general trend of research on “youth” crime which focuses on the visible criminal activities of children and for which they are readily ascribed the status of “young offenders,” I examine whether the legal system is just as swift in giving child victims adequate Protection and Prosecution against their assailants. Six specific child victimization contexts have been identified, which are all characterized by invisibility: in the home, in care, in school and public spaces as well as by corporations and the criminal justice system. I explore why these victimizations are invisible and what legal protection is offered to affected children. Finally, I analyse the extent to which a fourth P, that of Participation, can strengthen the three Ps of Protection, Prosecution and Prevention in fighting crimes committed against children.

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Notes

  1. “God on the streets” [all translations will be the author’s unless otherwise specified], an Organization serving kids on the street, 1664 Ontario Street East, Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1988 by Reverend Emmett Johns; online: <http://www.danslarue.com/an/home.html>.

  2. Adults take for granted many of the rights afforded to them by the law: the right to vote, to choose a home, a job, dietary habits, in short a lifestyle. Conversely, children are dependent on their caretakers as regards all matters affecting their lives.

  3. As yet, only South Africa has issued a Child Justice Bill in 2003 [B49–2002].

  4. See “Final Report on Legal Clinic at the Bon Dieu dans la rue Day Centre” (McGill Legal Clinic, Faculty of Law, 31 August 2001) 11 p. unpublished, on file with the author.

  5. In Canada, under the Constitution Act 1867, there is a division of responsibilities between the federal and provincial governments. Criminal law is under federal jurisdiction under article 91(27) while the provinces have responsibility for services such as health and child well-being under articles 92(7) regarding health and 92(13) regarding property and civil rights. This means that children in each province receive different treatment. Today, Quebec is the only province to have maintained a child-welfare system which partly accounts for the fact that homeless children from all over Canada take refuge in this province, where they are also less harassed by the police.

  6. Comité de la protection de la jeunesse (1991) Rapports annuels 1985–1991, Québec, Gouvernement du Québec.

  7. Centres de la jeunesse, online: <http://www.mtl.centresjeunesse.qc.ca/cjm/rapport_99-02/statistiques.htm>.

  8. One of the characteristics of Le Bon Dieu dans la rue is that even when the Squeegees become adults they can still return to the centre and speak of their future with members of the staff who know them and are interested in their fate.

  9. The child labour debate opposing the abolitionist school of thought and the protective regulations approach is well documented in White (1994) and Gorissen and Feinstein (1996); suffice it to say that we are against labour abuse and consider that exploitation is inappropriate as regards both children and adults.

  10. Campaign 2000 to end child poverty in Canada was a failure and now emits a yearly report card: the 2006 Report Card reveals that 1.2 million children—almost one child out of every six—still live in poverty in Canada; online: <http://www.campaign2000.ca>.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Nicolas G., Hextor, Benoît E., Sarah, Elizabeth and Patrick for their inspiration

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  1. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Piazza SS. Annunziata 12, Florence, 50122, Italy

    Clara Chapdelaine Feliciati Aroni

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Chapdelaine Feliciati Aroni, C. Child Justice in Canada and the Four Ps: Protection, Prosecution, Prevention, and Participation. Crit Crim 15, 267–284 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-007-9036-2

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