Politics
Monday May 31, 1999
4-Year Old Sexually Abused By BC Child Ministry
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VANCOUVER, BC, May 31 (LSN) - Four-year-old Anna Rath was taken from her parents over four weeks ago and is being held by BC social workers on the basis of an unfounded accusation of sexual abuse against her father Jurgan Rath. Rath a Christian evangelical mission worker from Paris, who was asked to move with his family to BC to help provincial Christian ministries, was accused of abuse, apparently by a disgruntled acquaintance who threatened Rath with revenge.
Social workers arrived at the Rath home with police and apprehended Anna, taking her to a hospital where she was subjected to an invasive "rape exam." The doctor informed the social worker that there was "no evidence of sexual assault," but the provincial bureaucrat refused to return the child to her parents. Instead, she placed Anna in a foster home to await another, more invasive rape exam. The parents' request that their child be placed with a familiar family which spoke her native language (French) was ignored.
When the case finally hit the courts on May 21, the Christian parents were devastated to discover what B.C.'s New Democrat government had done to their daughter. Jennifer Washtock, the social worker who apprehended the four-year-old girl, admitted under oath that she has taken Anna for two highly invasive medical exams. She also admitted to prohibiting the four- year old from eating and drinking for six-and-a-half hours, from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, in order to take saliva swabs to test for semen. Despite these desperate attempts to find evidence of sexual abuse, medics found nothing that could justify the accusations.
Washtock also provided the court with details from the three interviews they had with little Anna. During one of the interviews RCMP constable Berube subjected the four-year-old to horrific questioning attempting to lead the child to agree that she did sexual things. The child had no idea what he was referring to. The constable admitted in court that he had no training in interviewing cases of sexual abuse, or in interviewing children. He also acknowledged that he has no children of his own.
Taking the stand in court, Rath wept openly over this state-sanctioned violation of his child's innocence, devastated that a government bureaucracy allegedly committed to the protection of children could inflict so much harm on his young daughter.
Mrs. Rath is scheduled to give her testimony on June 2 and the ruling on the case is also expected to be handed down that day. Anna continues to reside in a foster home with few visits with her mother. Social workers are refusing to allow her to attend church.
(Source: Citizen's Research Institute)
Letters of support can be sent to the CRI (address below) or faxed to (604) 502-8875. We will ensure that they get to the Rath family.
Citizens Research Institute #202, 7337 - 137th Street Surrey, B.C. V3W 1A4
Please contact the following people to express your concern over the conduct of the social worker, the deficiencies in the investigation, and the abuse of Anna by government officials. Also, express the need to change the law to protect parents from over-zealous social workers.
Premier Glen Clark (250) 387-1715 Lois Boone, Minister of Children and Family (250) 387-9699 Mike Corbeil, Deputy Minister of Children and Family (250) 387-2000 Gordon Campbell, Liberal Opposition Leader (250) 387-2765 Linda Reid, Liberal Critic (250) 356-3056 Bill Vander Zalm, B.C. Reform Party President (604) 584-7722 Ross Dawson, Director of Child Protection (250) 387-7071 Lenore Angel, Regional Director, Child Protection (604) 586-4100
You can call toll free by contacting Enquiry B.C., ask to be connected to the number you wish to call. Lower mainland 660-2421 all other areas call 1 800 663-7867.
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