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The Canada Court Watch Program and the Family Justice Review Committee
would like to obtain credible testimony from children who feel that they
or their parents have been unjustly treated by individuals or agencies
connected with the justice system. Videotaped or phone interviews
with children may be of value in upcoming video documentaries on the
family justice system that we are currently working on.
Some of the issues bothering
children which they may wish to testify about would include:
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to parents who have been threatened by
government child support collection agencies or who have had parents
unfairly jailed for child support payments.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to parents who are being forced into poverty
because of repressive child support payments to another parent.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to the manner in which they or a parent was
treated by police, social workers or others in the system.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to being abused or maltreated by a custodial
parent as a result of being placed in the sole custody of that parent by
the court.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations of the court system and the judges and in the overall
handling of their family's matter in the court system.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to being coerced or lied to by child welfare
protection agencies or children's lawyer's officials.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to being forced to live under the control of an
abusive custodial parent contrary to their wishes and preferences.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to themselves denied access to a parent or being
denied a meaningful relationship with one parent contrary to their wishes
and preferences.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to their experience of being placed in foster
care system.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations in relation to unlawful acts being committed to them or to
other children while under the care of a child welfare protection agency.
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their thoughts, feelings and
observations while residing in a government funded women's abuse shelter.
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their
thoughts, feelings and observations about difficulties created by school
officials in relation to their relationship with a parent.
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their
thoughts, feelings and observations about the quality and content of
interviews with specific social workers or other professionals who work
within the system.
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their thoughts
and experiences in relation to placement in foster care or group home
facilities.
Those who wish our organization to investigate complaints will be expected to fill out and submit one of our complaint forms or surveys and to provide us with any information or documentation that we may
request. Information from the complaint forms and surveys will be used to help us in our research to gather information
from children and young adults about patterns of injustice within the system. For example, if a number of complaints come
into our organization about a particular individual such as a judge, social worker, police force, children's lawyer agent, family therapist,
custody assessor, crown attorney, etc, then we will put those people affected in contact with each other which may assist those
affected launch multiple lawsuits or a class action lawsuit against that particular individual or agency.
Children who participate in this program and who do
go public to speak out against injustice will be presented with the
Canada Court Watch "Pursuit of Justice Award" wall certificate signed by
the National Chairman of Court Watch, the Archbishop Dorian A. Baxter.
If readers have a child who wishes to provide
testimony then please contact us by phone in Toronto at (416) 410-4115 or
by e mail at
info@canadacourtwatch.com
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