'We get it once, and we get it properly': Child abuse response centre gets interview room upgrades

Child abuse victims in Manitoba will not have to relive their trauma and have a clearly documented voice after a Winnipeg abuse response centre receives equipment upgrades for its interview rooms.

The Toba Centre for Children & Youth is receiving $145,000 from the Manitoba Government to pay for specialized audio and video recording systems to be installed in its new facility at 710 Assiniboine Park Dr. The non-profit organization helps child abuse survivors recover through forensic interviewing and other trauma-informed techniques.

"It’s a beautiful space, but it's needed for some very dark reasons," said Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen at Friday's funding announcement. "When we talk about child abuse, it is one of the most heinous crimes there is that anybody can imagine."

The money comes from the province's Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund, which seizes and liquidates criminal assets and redirects funding towards enhancing public safety.

The RCMP will purchase and install specialized audio/video equipment in the Toba Centre interview rooms. The technology will help investigators interview child victims to document what they say accurately and help in the investigation and prosecution of child abusers.

"Here at the Toba Centre, children speak with investigators about violence, abuse, trauma that they’ve either witnessed or experienced," said RCMP Insp. Tim Arseneault. "The process of interviewing child victims can be particularly challenging. Obtaining an accurate account of what happened is critical to the investigative process."

Arseneault said the new equipment will help children avoid reliving trauma by only having to tell their story one time.

"This new technology will ensure that we capture the most accurate account of the victim's information in the first instance," he said. "We get it once, and we get it properly."

"A child doesn't have to be victimized, a child doesn’t have to tell their story again and again," said Goertzen.

Interview recordings of abuse victims can be used at every level of the investigation process, including as evidence during court proceedings.

The Toba Centre is currently running a capital campaign to help pay for its recent renovations, having raised more than $10 million of its $15 million goal.

Executive director Christy Dzikowicz said they are grateful for the province's funding support.

"We've built a state-of-the art child abuse response centre for our province," she said. "We could not be more proud of the way Manitoba has rallied to ensure that we develop the best possible response to child abuse. We know that our kids deserve no less than that."

The province is also giving the RCMP $27,000 to fight cybercrime by purchasing cryptocurrency-tracing software. Arsenault said the software will be used to help track down people committing sextortion, which is a major problem for teenagers.

"Having youth targeted and threatening to broadcast their intimate messages or photos has claimed more than one life in this country," he said.

The software will also help Mounties trace illegal financial activities, investigate the trafficking of goods on the Dark Web, recover stolen assets, and track down offenders.

The Toba Centre website says there are about 4,000 child abuse cases investigated every year in Manitoba. Many cases of child abuse go unreported.