I am a survivor. A survivor of an unimaginable horror that many innocent children face every day. The trauma is real, the pain is deep, and the fear never truly leaves you. It's time we change how we handle these situations in Barrie, ON, Canada.

Currently, when pedophiles are caught in our community, their names are NOT publicly announced and put into the news. This practice not only retraumatizes survivors like myself but also potentially puts other children at risk by creating a sense of false security among parents who believe they can protect their children and are aware who they are.

Research shows that most child sexual abuse cases are perpetrated by someone known to the child or their family (Statistics Canada). Thus, focusing on publicly shamed individuals may distract from the fact that danger could be closer than you think. 

It's time we rethink our approach. Let's focus on allowing parents the option to keep their babies safer.

I urge you all - survivors like me, parents who want to protect their children better - let us petition Barrie authorities to start  publicly announcing pedophiles' names when caught and put into news outlets. Please sign this petition