My thanks to the witnesses for being here today.
My question will be to Ms. Kennedy.
We had a previous witness whose name was Ellen Campbell, founding president of the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness. She was also a child victim of sexual exploitation. She mentioned that victims of child sexual offences often feel marginalized and belittled when the punishment does not fit the crime. She said that for them, and I think this is an exact quote, that's why minimum sentencing is important: it gives a strong message, first of all, but secondly, “it's giving a strong message to the victims that their life is worth something”.
Then she related instances when people have committed suicide. They took the brave step and they went public. Some of them were in their mid-adult years, around 30 years of age or 40 years of age. That big step left them feeling they had made the wrong step, and they committed suicide.
Through your practice, your advocacy for victims, but in particular your dealing with families and victims, I wonder if we could have a general overall picture of how these types of offences, in particular dealing with children, leave the families. In my experience, I've seen where families require ongoing treatment, for years and years, for everything from alcohol abuse to drug abuse, self-medication, because of what occurred. They get a mandatory life sentence for the crimes perpetrated against them.
I wonder if you could make some comments in that regard.