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Barbara Marsden - My Blog
Barbara Marsden - My Blog
Legal risks of volunteering/working with children
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Hello:

I was wondering if I should be encouraging my students to volunteer in third world countries, or whether this puts them a risk legally. Here in Canada, I have witnessed 3 innocent people's lives and careers come to complete ruin over false accusations by children (including a fellow teacher who had to sell her home to pay legal fees), and because the laws here have made it so easy for an adult to be charged, I cannot in good conscience encourage my students, particularly if they are male, to work with children in this country. I was wondering if the risk is greater or the same, or lesser in third world countries? I have heard that people who are accused of crimes against children are arrested at the airport once they arrive, and in looking into these cases, there seems to be little proof of guilt, which means that if a well-meaning (but perhaps a little niave) person has this happen to him or her, there is even less chance of a fair trial, since the alleged crime supposedly took place away from Canada. I am completely for the idea of sending the guilty away to the gallows, but if this can be done with no other evidence than a child's word, i would find it both frightening and unacceptable, as well as a risk that you are all facing, unfortunately.
Please give me any insight - I don't wish to argue the merits of sending an innocent person to jail in order to get rid of the guilty, because I'm not that callous!
Thanks,
Barb

August 4, 2009 | 6:03 PM Comments  0 comments

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