A Saskatchewan mother of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by a man three times her age is warning parents about the dangers of the Internet.
Now that her daughter is safely back at their home near Swift Current, the mother says, "There are so many predators out there, and kids are so na�ve. They will believe everything they're told on the Internet."
Early Tuesday morning, the woman's daughter climbed out of her bedroom window. She made her way down a dark rural road to a main road, where she met an older man waiting for her in a taxi.
The girl had left a note, which her mother says told her that her daughter had run away with a boyfriend she met on the Internet.
The note hinted the pair was heading east and Winnipeg Police intercepted an Ontario-bound bus with the girl on it and arrested a 41-year-old man.
Police said parents should monitor their children's online activities.
"It's very important for parents to try to and attempt to monitor their children's activities on the Internet to know who they're speaking with, what kind of chat rooms they're visiting," Const. Jeffrey Norman, of the Winnipeg Police Service said.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection says they have received nearly 2,000 complaints of online predators targeting the most vulnerable girls -- those between 13 and 15.
"They're seeking their own independence, they're trying to develop deeper, more meaningful relationships, and as a result they can be more vulnerable online," the Centre's Signy Arnason told CTV News.
The Saskatchewan mother said she warned her daughter of the dangers of meeting people online but got nowhere. But for now, she's just happy her daughter is home, safe and sound.
Daniel George Nickolson, of Windsor, Ont., has been charged with abducting a person under the age of 16.
He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
With a report by CTV Winnipeg's Murray Oliver
