FILM: Les Voleurs
Last night I went to a documentary film at the Bytowne called Les Voleurs d'Enfance (Thieves of Innocence). It is about abused children caught in the Youth Protection system in Quebec. It was a huge eye-opener. The beginning of the film is intensely disturbing as it sampled the abuse experienced by children in case studies, interviews etc, and I almost felt it was gratuitous.
However as the film progressed I realized that the horror of the first part was necessary to contrast with the second part of the film which showed how (leniently) abusers are dealt with in the justice system, and most importantly, how the children are treated once they are placed into "the system". The system is a top-heavy megalith of bureaucracy that ends up with kids being shifted around through twenty or thirty "homes" until they are dumped on the street at age 18. They don't have case workers who follow their case, as each time they are move they are assigned to a new social worker.
Whenever I see a film or doc like this I always wonder whether politicians and policy-makers ever see them. I doubt it happens often, but I think it would go a long way to inspiring change.
However as the film progressed I realized that the horror of the first part was necessary to contrast with the second part of the film which showed how (leniently) abusers are dealt with in the justice system, and most importantly, how the children are treated once they are placed into "the system". The system is a top-heavy megalith of bureaucracy that ends up with kids being shifted around through twenty or thirty "homes" until they are dumped on the street at age 18. They don't have case workers who follow their case, as each time they are move they are assigned to a new social worker.
Whenever I see a film or doc like this I always wonder whether politicians and policy-makers ever see them. I doubt it happens often, but I think it would go a long way to inspiring change.
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