Day 112 — 231 Calls for Justice Call for Justice 11.2

 Day 112 — 231 Calls for Justice

Call for Justice 11.2

There are truths in public reports that are easy to quote, but harder to sit with. This Call for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is one of those.

“We call upon all educational service providers to develop and implement awareness and education programs for Indigenous children and youth on the issue of grooming for exploitation and sexual exploitation.”

At its core, this call is simple, but it points to something deeply structural: harm is often preceded by silence, confusion, and lack of language. When children are not taught what manipulation looks like, they are left to interpret it alone. And when systems fail to provide that knowledge, responsibility shifts unfairly onto the most vulnerable.

Knowledge is protection

This Call for Justice is not asking for children to be exposed to fear. It is asking for clarity.

There is a difference between fear-based messaging and prevention-based education. Fear isolates. Prevention equips.

Children can be taught:

• what unsafe attention can look like
• how manipulation can start small and escalate
• that boundaries are valid and worth protecting
• that trusted adults should make them feel safer, not confused or pressured

This is not about creating fear of the world. It is about removing secrecy from harm.

Why this matters in context

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls documented how systemic neglect, colonial violence, and jurisdictional gaps contributed to disproportionate harm experienced by Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people across Canada.

Education is one of the few intervention points that exists before systems fail a person entirely. But it only works if it is:

• consistent
• culturally relevant
• trauma-informed
• and actually delivered, not just written into policy documents

Education is not fear

There is a misconception that talking to children about exploitation “takes away innocence.” But innocence is not protection. Awareness is.

Silence does not prevent harm—it only delays recognition of it.

When young people are given language early, they are more likely to:

• recognize unsafe situations sooner
• ask for help without shame
• trust their instincts
• understand that grooming is not their fault

The responsibility is collective

This Call for Justice is directed at educational service providers, but the responsibility extends further:

• families
• community organizations
• youth programs
• policymakers
• and anyone who claims to care about child safety

Protection cannot depend on chance or individual awareness alone. It must be built into education systems in a consistent way.

Closing thought

“Share this if you believe children deserve to be protected before harm happens.”

But beyond sharing, the deeper question is implementation:
What does it look like when prevention is not optional, but embedded into how we educate?

Because children should not have to learn danger through experience first.

They deserve language before harm.

Reflective Questions

1. What does “knowledge is protection” mean in the context of child safety and education?
2. How can schools teach about grooming and exploitation in a way that is age-appropriate and non-fear-based?
3. What happens when children are not given language to describe unsafe or manipulative behavior?
4. How might cultural safety and Indigenous-led approaches improve education on prevention?
5. Who should be responsible for ensuring this education is consistently delivered—schools, governments, communities, or all of them?
6. What are the risks of avoiding these conversations in the name of “protecting innocence”?
7. How can trust between children and adults be strengthened so disclosures are taken seriously?
8. In what ways do systemic gaps contribute to ongoing vulnerability for Indigenous youth?
9. What would effective, trauma-informed prevention education actually look like in practice?
10. How can communities move from awareness into sustained action and accountability?

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