Stopping Exploitation Begins at Home, Mr. Deschênes

Stéphane Deschênes of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park and the Federation of Canadian Naturists, has released his latest web podcast entitled "Exploitation", which condemns the people who have exploited nudism and naturism, those who would "objectify our bodies and sexualize our activities." He rails against profiteers who "pander to deviants", selling photos and videos of children engaging in nude recreation, which have no interest to actual naturists, but only to those with "prurient intents." Deschênes uses strong words like "infect" and "victimize" when referring to people who "twist the definition of naturism to suit their purposes."

I wholeheartedly agree, and I will have a lot more to say about this subject, which is extremely important and should be of great concern to nudists and naturists worldwide.

But Mr. Deschênes is on the Board of Directors for "Going Natural", the official publication of FCN, which accepts advertising from "Nudism Lifestyles" (see page 39 Summer 2010 issue), which sells DVDs for $45 and up which include "mothers and daughters enjoy a morning of lively water exercises", "dozens of guys spend the day at the gym", "Ms. Nude Texas", "1999 Junior Miss Pageant", and other similar exploitative materials.

And on page 52 of the same issue is an ad which features a nude child with the words "RUSSIANBARE.COM" painted on her back, used as a human billboard to sell exactly the types of exploitative materials so condemned by Mr. Deschênes on his podcast.

So I urge everyone to let Mr. Deschênes (stephane@fcn.ca) know that he needs to start looking  in his own back yard when it comes to rooting out those who "conceal themselves beneath the cloak of legitimacy that naturism provides."

Stephane Deschenes Responds to Toronto Police Report

Following the arrest of an elderly man accused of sex crimes against children, the Toronto Police stated that he "gained access to children through his affiliation with various nudist organizations around the world".

In a swift response, the Director of the Federation of Canadian Naturists, Stephane Deschanes, took exception to the insinuation that nudist and naturist groups were providing access to pedophiles. Here is the entire press release:

The Federation of Canadian Naturists, like everyone else, is committed to stopping sex offenders and to helping their victims. However, we take exception to the Toronto Police Service Sex Crime Unit's (New Release May 13, 2010, 10h56) characterization that the accused "gained access to children through his affiliation with various nudist organizations around the world".

Unlike organized sports, religious institutions and other activities coordinated by civic organizations, children in naturism are not left in the care of a person in authority. Naturism is based on family participation and children are usually in the care of their parents. As such, being affiliated with a naturist/nudist organization would not provide any more access than joining any other group. In fact, children in naturism may be less vulnerable because naturist environments tend to have a stronger sense of community than the general society. People in naturist clubs look out for each other and are very aware of what is happening in their environment. Individuals with nefarious intent are often easier to identify if they are in a naturist environment.

A multitude of scholarly research studies on this topic in psychology and sociology have shown that children reared in an atmosphere containing casual family social nudity benefit from the practice. Children raised in naturism learn to accept the human body and recognize that everyone is unique. Comfort with nudity combined with naturist values lead to a healthy self-image and strong self-esteem. Although good parenting is by far the most important factor in raising children, naturism helps to promote their confidence and understanding about their bodies.

It is clear that being dressed has not kept children safe. Those who prey on children are attracted to any place where children can be found. It is a sad reality that predators have been found as priests, teachers, scout leaders, hockey coaches, etc... It is therefore unrealistic to suggest that we should avoid any place that might attract them since we would rob our children of all of those institutions that are so important to their upbringing.

The best thing we can do is to teach our children the confidence to speak up when people do things that make them uncomfortable. If they are not ashamed of their bodies, they are much more likely to tell their parents when someone does things to them that they don't like. If we are informed, we can help them. Whether nude or clothed, children should know that being touched in certain ways is wrong and they should have the assertiveness to speak up.

For further information: Stephane Deschenes, Director, Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN), stephane@FCN.ca, Cell: (416) 219-5856, www.FCN.ca