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To The Editor:

On April 18, I picked up a copy of the 19th annual Crime Prevention Guide titled "Behind Every Picture There's Pain." The corner picture of the guide is of a child with the caption, "Child Pornography...Report It...Don't Support It."

On that same day, I had my copy of MacLean's magazine in which I found an article by Julian Sher reporting on the break-up of a pornographic ring. This ring included participants from the United States, Australia, Europe as well as Canada. It was broken by Canadian investigators.

Unfortunately, for the children, the investigators and Canadians as a whole, the lowest sentences for these horrific crimes were handed out to Canadian offenders. For example, one person who was found guilty of the largest collection the police had ever seen, received a sentence of 14 days of the 80 people arrested, MacLean's surveyed 12 court cases. While offenders in other countries faced decades of detention behind bars, their Canadian partners faced a few days to a few months to a few years. For example, a Canadian who was shown on video raping his infant daughter received four years in jail. (We know he will be out in less than two years.)

In contrast, two U.S. citizens who were shown on video raping their children received life sentences. In the Liberal Netherlands, a member of the ring was sentenced to 10 years in jail for sexually abusing a child.

The message of Public Safety Minister John Foran in the Crime Prevention Guide is, "that child pornography is a horrendous crime and we want to send a clear message to predators that we take this issue seriously."

I'm sorry but with sentences of 14 days, I would not call that a serious sentence for a horrendous crime.

The Crime Prevention Guide is a good idea but I think it gives the citizens of this province a false sense of security. The government is asking the public to view this crime as horrendous while they do not. Let's be real. You would face far more time in jail for robbing a bank and the bank is insured. The life of a child who has been abused in scarred for life.

Until the government changes the laws, I think they should stop pretending that they care.

Marie Guitard

Pointe-Verte