User:Amgine/Story preparation/CJPH embargo

Customs and Imm

 * Media contact BC&Yukon: 604-666-8408
 * contacted 0845 PDT 20100713
 * checked 1024 PDT 20100713 - still 'on phone' msg.
 * National line: 613-952-1650
 * contacted 0850 PDT 20100713
 * callback 0820 PDT 201000714

Questions: (Quick phone callback, answers off the record but will e-mail an on-the-record response.)
 * 1) Does CIC track minors on student visas? Do they know if they leave at the end of their visa? track whether they are safe?
 * 2) * (national line, need to get spokesperson name) No. All of our checking is 'front-loaded', at the time of application. We don't monitor whether they actually attend the schooling, where they are living, or things like that. If they do over-stay their visa that's actually something for CBSA, but likely it won't come up unless they are stopped for something like a traffic violation, at which point it will be an issue for them.
 * 3) Is CIC involved in vetting or certifying home-stay placements or agencies?
 * 4) * (didn't ask, didn't have my notes with me)
 * 5) Does CIC consider there to be a risk for trafficking via this route? (asked poorly, more like "one of the researchers said some of the homestay students look more like sexually exploited youth, is this something CIC would be looking at?")
 * 6) * Did the study really say that? I don't know about that. I'll have to look for information about that and include it in the e-mail.

BC MCFD

 * Public Affairs Bureau: 250 356-2939
 * contacted 0900 PDT 20100713 - Darren Harv/bord

Referral to Scott @ Ministry of Education: 250 356 8713

Questions:
 * 1) Does MCFD have any responsibility for caring for home-stay students?
 * 2) * No, that would be Ministry of Education
 * 3) " for certifying home-stay parents or placement agencies?
 * 4) * No, that would be Ministry of Education
 * 5) Has MCFD encountered many cases of abuse or sexual exploitation of home-stay students?
 * 6) * Can't address any specific case. Every case is handled uniquely, like any other cps call. Receive about 30 000, and each needs to be handled uniqely according to the situation. If appropriate CP investigation initiated, the least-intrusive measure is taken. If child has extended family member, other relation in-country they would be contacted.
 * 7) What about the case reported in the news on May 18 of a 17yo found in a brothel in Vancouver?
 * 8) * http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/realscoop/archive/2010/05/18/vpd-finds-teenaged-home-stay-student-in-prostitution-raid.aspx
 * 9) * http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/local/article/529279--underage-girl-found-in-alleged-vancouver-brothel
 * 10) * http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=3047254
 * 11) * http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/05/18/bc-burrard-brothel-bust.html?ref=rss
 * 12) * http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Chinese+student+rescued+from+Vancouver+bawdy+house/3044095/story.html
 * 13) * http://www.theprovince.com/news/bust+bawdy+house+rescue+year+girl+arrest/3043818/story.html
 * 14) * http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/56585--vpd-shut-down-brothel-with-17-year-old-chinese-student-inside
 * 15) * http://www.westca.com/News/article/sid=156740/lang=schinese.html (have eng. trans of comments of PRC Consular general official re: the case)

Chinese embassy

 * Public Relations
 * Li Li, Consul, Chief of Public Relations Office: 604-731-6963
 * no contact @ 0832 PDT 20100713
 * contact @ 0910 PD 20100713
 * Zhao Binghui, Vice Consul: 604-731-6967

Questions:
 * 1) How many home-stay students from the PRC are currently in Canada?
 * 2) How often is the Consular office contacted by parents of home-stay students who have fallen out of contact?
 * 3) A study about to be published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health suggests home-stay students in BC have higher risks for some health issues. Were you aware of this research and these health risks?
 * 4) Have any parents/relations of home-stay students expressed concerns about the health behaviours of their students like smoking or drug use? Are they confident their students are safe and healthy in Canada?

Contact log:
 * 0910 Li Li, gave questions, will research and get back to me.

BC Ministry of education

 * Media inquiries: 250 356-5963
 * Contacted, 0839 PDT 20100713
 * Contacted Scott Southerland @ 250 356 8713: voicemail 0910 PDT 20100713
 * Contact Scott 0928 PDT 20100713

Questions:
 * 1) How many home-stay students are enrolled province-wide?
 * 2) What are the tuition fees to attend as a foreign student?
 * 3) Is the ministry aware of the increased health risks for home-stay students? Are there any programs in place to address the health issues raised by the CJPH article?
 * 4) Does the BC Ministry of Education have any plans to start regulating Home-Stay students?

Contact log:
 * 0928 Scott, gave questions, will return call.
 * Voicemail from Scott 1637 PDT 20100713 - callback

Elizabeth Saewyc interview notes
 How did you come to do this study? One of our research team members, lead author Sabrina Wong, volunteered as a homestay parent. She was surprised by the ease one could become a homestay parent, and the lack of ability to really act as a parent to the students; homestay parents are quite restricted in how much they can supervise the visiting students. As a health professional she wondered how this might affect the health choices teens might make.

I am the Research Director at the McCreary Centre Society, and we conduct a province-wide school-based health survey every five years, so Dr. Wong approached me about the possibility our data could be used to examine the health choices of homestay students, and be able to compare and contrast them with immigrant students and Canadian-born students of similar ethnic backgrounds. Your report seems to suggest that some homestay agencies may be a front for trafficking - on what do you base that? Actually, no, we can't say that for sure. We are concerned there is no oversight or certification of homestay agencies or families, unlike the foster care programs. Some of the agencies undoubtedly are carefully screening potential homestay families, but there are no rules which require them to do so. Our concerns in part are due to finding much higher rates of sexual abuse among female homestay students than either immigrant or Canadian-born girls. How wide-spread might these issues be? is this common among home-stay students? Oh,I don't think it's very common at all. But just a couple of months ago here in Vancouver there was a case where a 17-year-old homestay student was discovered during a police raid on a brothel. It does happen--and a concerning issue is that fewer than 3% of Canadian-born young women reported ever using cocaine, but just over 9% of homestay young women reported cocaine use. How does that suggest the sex trade though? It's not a single thing, but a collection of them which mark these young persons as very different from either of the comparison groups. They have higher rates of using drugs or alcohol before their last sexual encounter, use of cocaine, which is almost unknown among their peers, much higher sexual experience rates, much higher reports of abuse. They also report surprisingly higher rates of condom use; about 57% of both immigrant or Canadian-born girls used condoms the last time they had sex, but more than 80% of the homestay students did. Together these behaviours are more similar to sexually exploited youth than typical students in school.</dd> <dt>What do you think should be done about this?</dt> <dd>We think the government should put policies and procedures in place to better track foreign students who come to Canada for secondary school, and to screen the people who take care of them. We have procedures in place for Canadian teens who can't live with their families, whether that's in foster care or group home; we should have similar protections in place for foreign students who come to Canada without their families.</dd> <dt>What about the governments of the student's home countries? What is their responsibility for their student citizens?</dt> <dd>Certainly you would hope these originating countries are aware of these health risks, and are advocating for more oversight by the Canadian government. They might also want to work closely with reputable home-stay agencies, to vet them and help reassure parents that their teens are being cared for.</dd> </dl>