Categories: General
      Date: Jan 22, 2010
     Title: Preying on Predators

VANCOUVER - January 22, 2010 - PredatorWatch, a multi-media campaign aimed at stoping child predators from soliciting children online, was launched today at Vacouver Police headquarters.

Created by B.C.'s Children of the Street Society in partnership with Rethink Communications, the campaign features print and tv ads, posters and includes a web component.

"Our main objective is to prevent the sexual exploitation of children and youth," says Diane Sowden, Executive Director at Children of the Street Society. "It's become very apparent over the past few years that the Internet is often the place where these problems originate - Predator Watch is our answer."

The initiative is supported by the BC Association of Chiefs of Police and by the Ministries of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Children and Family Development.

"We know that the sexual exploitation of children has increasingly gone underground, to the internet," said Mary Polak, Minister of Children and Family Development. "PredatorWatch - and the ongoing work of the police departments and Children of the Street Society - takes direct aim at this insidious crime and the B.C. government is pleased to support the campaign."

The print portion of the PredatorWatch campaign depicts police officers wearing hyperreal masks of children's faces and is tagged with the line "Attention Predators: undercover officers are online."

"Sexual exploitation of children is prevalent online because perpetrators believe they're anonymous when they're sitting in front of thier monitors," says Rethink founding partner, Chris Staples. "This campaign clearly communicates that's not the case."

For more information visit www.PredatorWatch.ca

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