do. Regretably, not all parents care. As - Jim. McDowell _ points out in the following: article, something must -be done for the children. At first reading . you may find what. he says. to be _. radical and unworkable. Yet the fact that child abuse and mistreatment seem ‘to be rising at an alarming rate must. . make © ‘us ‘consider carefully what ‘hei is saying. Who speaks ; for the child? By IM McDOWELL- Earlier this month a 23- year old Surrey man was sentenced’ to life im- prisonment for murdering ‘his 10 month old daughter | after he became annoyed by her crying, her habit of 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, ‘North Vancouver, B.C. * V7M 2H4 _ OFFICE/INEWS (604) 980-0511 CLASSIFIED ~ 986-6222 CIRCULATION 986-1337 @u sw Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Bob Graham Editor-in-Chief Noel Wright Managing Editor Andy Fraser News Editor Chris Lloyd Photos Elsworth Dickson Advertising Director Eric Cardwell Traffic Manager Donna Champion Production Tim Francis Faye McCrae Classified Berm Hitiard Circulation Director don Shave Administration Andrew Walters Accounts - $ytvia Sorenson North Ghore News, founded in 1969 as an independent community newspaper and qualified under Schedulo 111, Part 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday and Sunday by the North Shore Free Press Ltd and distributed to every Goor on the | North Shore Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 VERIFIED CIRCULATION 48,478 Entire contentad. 1978 North Share Free Prensa Lid. All rights reserved “lt: is: not. easy. ‘to be a parent i in ‘today’s world. . . Almost. everyday. the’ children ‘come home with . new questions, ‘New ideas and new. concepts: ; Because our influence is so great over them, we ~ must be very very sure: of what we: ‘say, and of what we erating backward instead. of forward, “and- ‘her ac-. - casional refusal. to take her bottle. “This kind of ‘cruelty “ to children is not new, but it still, shocks us. Yet child abuse and neglect can ‘occur "in any family regardless of * education, income, ethnic or ~ racial background. That's one reason: why. those concerned with the well-being of. children have been pressing for stronger - child and family legislation _in B.C. After working hard for over five years, these people are now upset. In 1978 senior civil ser- vants in the department of human resources dreamed up a flimsy seven-page bill and gave it to the public for discussion. But their - proposed Family and Child Services Act is worse than the 78: year old laws it is supposed to replace. Child.care people find the new Act outrageous. They say it deals with children’s problems after they happen —instead of heading them off. They charge that the Socred’s new Act ignored the 14 volumes of suggestions for change made four years ago by B.C. Peon ee Court Justice om: mission on family and - children’s law. They're also disturbed that the 58 page report of Vic Belknap, made superintendent of child welfare last year to review existing laws, has never been made public. Now Grace McCarthy, Minister of Human Resources, is saying, “The proposed Act was only a discussion paper; it was never meant to be legislation. I'm committed to having the best children’s legislation I can put before the House.” She thinks that might take another year. But the Socred minister is not prepared to let us know what the basic parts of that legisJation will be. For in- stance, she is unwilling to promise that new law will at least contain a bill of rights for children. And she admits she “hasn't even thought about) an ombusman for children"—one person in government who will speak for young people. Child welfare advocates are left with a bunch of questions: Does _ this government know’ what children need? Why haven't they used Justice Berger's ideas, many of which have already been made law in Ontario and Quebec? Why have the Socred’s been so oN sweeping _ secretive ‘about - ‘Belknap’s: original -i ideas which seemed . to'aim at prevention, ‘not just”. - reaction? . .Was. -the-—public ‘given a © “weak | . “discussion. “ - paper”. just:: ‘to. -keep :them - busy arguing in’ the. dark.. until the election is over? Is this a responsible way for a government ‘to draw. up Vital. legislation? - Complimentary Gift ~“*Wonder Ball’’ “No Purchase Necessary Every child would love one! What rights. should children have? The 10 proposed by the U.N. -Declaration of the Rights of © “the Child seem to be. ~minimal. These. are now ‘being. pushed by local In- - 7 ternational Year of the Child. committees. . . . ° . , cig But. I would. ‘go ‘much - further. I agree” with John ‘Holt who says, in. Escape ‘from Childhood, “I urge that the law grant and guarantee to the young the freedom it now grants to adults.” This includes the right to vote, to -_ work, to own property, to... travel, to choose - one’s guardian, tO a guaranteed income, to full and equal legal protection, to live as a financially responsible citizen, to control their own - learning, to use drugs, to drive, to. control ‘their tee me a - ; Cog private sex lives. non —— _— ” FASHION. CENTRE FOR CHILDREN Park Royal South — Upper | Mall - 926-5616 ; Why shouldn’t children have all these rights as soon as they are each ready to assume them? How can we justify that at a certain magic age all young people become mature enough to do this or that? -Here’s your excuse for another attic visit! An ‘ombudsman for children, is needed who will lobby for’ these rights and protect them. So far Sweden is the only country in the - world that has such a children’s advocate. chita the blo: Frank Baker ren are the blossoms of our emerging society, and welcomes they don’t get a second Bobby Gimby chance at childhood. What ; can each of us do to make to the Attic better child and family policies an important issue in the current election? for a 2 week “Pied Piper” engagement. Reserve your table soon for “Mr. Ca-na-da” - Bobby Gimby - The Band and the New Show. OPENS TUESDAY MAY 1st FOR 2 WEEKS Dinners available - no cover charge Children of all ages welcome THE ATTIC 922-3224 in West Vancouver near Park Royal WANTED 2000 HARLEQUIN under #2000 Pacific Books 1135 Lonsdale North Vancouver 980-2124 P.S. Come early in the week for the best tables