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According to The Badgley Report, 1 in 2 girls and 1 in 3 boys were the victims of unwanted sexual advances before the age of eighteen. As disturbing as these statistics are, lenient sentencing for offenders offer little incentive for cessation.

Victims of violence offers examples of just how lenient the courts have been on offenders. Out of the eight cases cited, the longest sentence was seven years and the shortest 45 days in jail to be served on weekends.


Lenient in some ways, the courts are harsh in others. There is no statute of limitations on child sexual abuse. Discovering abuses that took place decades before can still be brought to court today.

Likewise, the National Sex Offender Registry requires offenders to register with them for 10 years or life depending on the severity of their crime. The registry serves its purpose by allowing communities to track offenders in their area, but this monitoring device can backfire as shown by stories where released offenders are beaten just for being sex offenders. Harsher penalties for offenders who fail to register may be necessary as well.

In Canada, the age of majority varies between provinces ranging from 17 to 19. According to the criminal code, the age of consent for sexual activity is 14 stating, Every person who, for a sexual purpose, touches, directly or indirectly, with a part of the body or with an object, any part of the body a person under the age of fourteen (14) years is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

Many feel laws are far from perfect, but even the Victims of Violence website states that Advancements in the laws governing the sexual abuse of children have improved.

By: Tamia Johnson

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