National Missing Children’s Day, commemorated annually on May 25th, is a time to remember the children who have been found and remain vigilant about finding those whose whereabouts and fates remain unknown.
According to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the most common cause of child abduction is parental child abduction—when “when one parent takes, detains, or conceals a child from the other parent,” says the organization.
In Canada, this can occur in such circumstances as when one parent feels wronged by the legal system or custody arrangements, when a parent wants to intentionally cause harm, or upon the dissolution of a relationship and a parent seeks to return to his or her country of origin, for example.
Only today, it was reported by Canadian media that two Winnipeg children reported missing and presumed to be in Mexico have been recovered alive. The children, Dominic and Abby Maryk, have been missing since 2008, but were found by a Mexican organization (FIND) and a privately hired investigator in Guadalajara. Details about the case will be officially released on Monday.
But, the private investigator has spoken to Global News. “They found a large amount of child pornography, psychedelic drugs and also weapons at that house,” he said.
The children are now thought to be on their way back to Canada, where they will undergo rehabilitation and be reunited with their mother.
Even though a person is the parent a child, abduction is a crime covered under sections 282 and 283 of the Canadian Criminal Code. The children’s father, Kevin Maryk, is not the children’s custodian and is accused of abduction.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) works with other authorities and civil society groups in locating missing children and preventing abductions through its National Missing Children Operations.
“The RCMP is committed to working in collaboration with our law enforcement partners to help bring our missing children home. Police Officers from across the country continue their investigative efforts; we have not forgotten these children and their families,” said RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson yesterday.
Minister for Public Safety, Vic Toews, thanked police officers for their efforts and expressed the government’s commitment to citizens’ safety.
“There is no greater fear for a parent than the possibility of a missing child,” he said. “Today is an important day to remember not only children who have gone missing, but also their loved ones.”