Mr. Speaker, rape as a weapon of war is nothing new. We hear of it over and over again. It is very sad and actually breaks my heart.
There are growing stories of sexual violence and rape. There are stories of those things happening within the refugee camps and of their being used by the government forces, opposition forces and those who are just there and they happen to be abusive personalities.
During this time, I think that we as a country have a role to play. When we are talking about families who actually qualify to be sponsored into this country, who already have gone through the early stages and are just waiting for medicals, we should at least get them tourist visas and get them here while all of that gets completed. That would seem to be the humane thing to do.
We also have to work with our partners and agencies to make sure that we are addressing issues like this and that we are shining the light on these kinds of situations to protect women and children.
As a teacher, I dealt with the aftermath of refugees who came from very violent situations similar to this, and I can say that it leaves lifelong scars.