| 'Word is out' Canada is a safe haven Prosecutors fear any case would fail Charter of Rights test | |
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By Stewart Bell National Post | |
VANCOUVER - Canada has a growing polygamy problem that is earning the country a reputation as a safe haven for men who want to keep several wives, an anti-polygamy lobby group charged yesterday. The failure of authorities to take action against a polygamist colony near Creston, B.C., combined with increased immigration from countries where the practice is common are said to be fuelling the increase. "The word is out there that B.C. is a safe place for polygamists," said Debbie Palmer of Eye on Polygamy, which hosted a public forum last night in Vancouver. "There are many polygamous families coming to Canada looking for a safe haven." Polygamy is illegal in Canada but B.C. prosecutors have been reluctant to lay charges, partly because they fear they would lose a challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "It's not prosecuted because it hasn't been," said Carmen Thompson, director of the U.S. Centre for Public Education and Information on Polygamy, who also spoke at the forum. "It's much easier just to let it go." Another barrier to legal action has been the failure of wives to complain to police. The wives, particularly the very young ones, may fear retribution if they complain, or they may simply be unaware that the actions of their husbands may be criminal. The geographic isolation of colonies such as Bountiful, B.C., add to the difficulties. "Many are trapped in polygamy with nowhere to turn for help since Americans and Canadians alike have no idea what is needed to assist refugees of polygamy," said Ms. Thompson, who spent 15 years as a polygamist "sister-wife." While polygamists cite religious freedom in their defence, Eye of Polygamy argues it is actually a form of abuse. Colonies such as Bountiful in the B.C. Interior, are rife with incest, rape, physical and sexual abuse, said Ms. Thompson. "This is not about religion. It's about power and greed and sex," she said. "They hide behind the veil of religion." Polygamy is not just a problem for Mormons, the group said. Refugees and immigrants from regions that practice polygamy, such as South and Central Asia, are also bringing it to Canadian cities such as Toronto and Montreal. "It's not something that you're going to give up just because you've come to Canada," Ms. Palmer said. Of particular concern to activists is growing evidence of cross-border trafficking in girls into polygamist marriages. At least 45 teenage girls have been shipped across the border from the U.S. to marry older men in B.C. in recent years, she said. About 15 Canadian girls have gone in the other direction to marry U.S. husbands. The youngest girl was 13 and the rest were 14 to 16. The men they have married were in their 40s, Ms. Palmer said. "No one ever looks at what happens to the women, they never see the heartache or the inward soul of the women who are dragged into it," said David Leavitt, a Utah attorney who successfully prosecuted polygamist Thomas Green, whose fifth wife was also his 13-year-old step-daughter. The Mormon church abandoned polygamy in the late 19th-century but some Mormons continue to practice it, arguing they are following the edict of their founder and the Old Testament. The Bountiful colony was established in 1946 and is part of a 10,000-member Arizona group called the United Effort Plan. Ms. Palmer was born and raised in Bountiful. Her father was one of its founders and she was married at age 14 to Ray Blackmore, a colony leader. After rearing her eighth child, she fled and began working to protect the rights of women and children trapped in polygamy. | |
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National Post Originally published July 12, 2002 | |
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