Pedophiles in Canada and Sexual Tourism

In my last blog, I talked about how the Criminal Code of Canada is the legislation that deals with child sex offenders in Canada. While some of the jail sentences and penalties against those who violate the rights of children seem acceptable within the legislation, I personally do not feel that they are enough. I’ll tell you a story that will give you some insight into why I am opposed to light sentences against pedophiles (who commit offences against children) and child sex offenders. Before I go on, however, I feel it is necessary to note that not all pedophiles are child molesters. In other words, not all pedophiles act on their impulses (meaning they are able to control their desires). The people whom I think should be subject to the strictest penalties under the law are pedophiles and sex offenders who actually do commit acts against children that put the safety of the child/youth in jeopardy.

            Now I shall tell you my story. I have a friend who works within the police force in Canada. He told me that, from what he has personally witnessed, child sex offenders do not stay in jail for a long enough time. After a few months or years, they are let out again. However, the problem is that the chances of these sex offenders reoffending are often very high. Does this mean that Canada’s Criminal Code, which appears to impose harsh penalties on criminals, is not enough in preventing sex offences against children? This definitely appears to be the case. It is extremely sad reading stories and news articles about children who were sexually violated or whose images were misused by pedophiles/sex offenders. Another fact that my friend shared with me was that, while the traditional image of pedophiles is that they go to parks to lure children, this is not the only place they go. One of the top places visited by pedophiles is the public library. This literally sent a shiver down my spine, as I always thought of libraries as safe places for children. As a kid, I remember going to the library alone to read books and borrow videos. If my parents had known this, they would never have let me go to any library alone. And when I do decide to have children of my own, there is no way I’d ever let them wander in the library alone either.

            While I was reading about how pedophiles are dealt with in Canada, I came across something else that I found very sad and both disgusting and disheartening. This is the fact that many Canadian sexual predators actually travel abroad to abuse children. This is one of the most negative aspects of the increasingly globalized world within in which we live. Cambodia, a third-world country within Asia, is a haven for sexual predators. Alongside there being many unsupervised children walking the streets in Cambodia, authorities in the country have little interest in protecting children against the crimes inflicted on them by foreign tourists. While Canada fortunately has a law that permits Canadian police to punish sexual offenders who commit crimes against children abroad, the number of convictions is sadly very low compared to other countries with similar laws. This is because the RCMP has been slow in responding to crimes committed against innocent children abroad, according to governmental organizations such as Action Pour Les Infants (an organization dedicated to protecting children).*

Here is a link to a very interesting documentary on sexual tourism:

*For more information, please visit:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/02/22/cambodia-pedophile-mimi-wells-report.html