With their long hair, bushy beards, and matching leather vests, the large group of bikers visiting Flin Flon on Tuesday were tough to miss.
While their appearance may have been disconcerting to some, the men and women hanging around the provincial building that day are not gang members—far from it.
They are volunteers with Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), an international organization that focuses on creating a safer environment for abused children.
“We are here because we empower kids so they can tell their stories in court,” explained Bagger, a member of the group, who asked to be identified by his road name as a safety precaution.
Bagger said that BACA volunteers travel to a community, in this case Flin Flon, upon request from a parent or guardian of a child involved in a child abuse case.
The bikers were not able to comment on the local case, but Bagger noted that each situation is assessed carefully by the organization before the bikers take part.
“There is a whole process we go through of screening to make sure that it’s a real case, it’s not a custody battle or something like that,” he said.
“We make sure that we belong in that situation.”
Once they are committed to a case, BACA members focus on creating a sense of community for the affected child.
“We do a whole ceremony where we bring that kid into our family and make that kid part of our organization. We show up for them when they need us, and make sure they feel safe to do what they need to do.”
They also aim to build a sense of security for the child with their physical presence.
Each child that participates in BACA is assigned two volunteers, or “primaries,” and their family has access to the primaries’ personal cell numbers.
“They can call at any point, day or night, if they feel scared at home, if they feel scared going to school. Anywhere they feel scared, we will show up,” said Deuce, another BACA volunteer.
“We’ve been known to stay outside of houses, just to let them know we are there. It gives them that piece of mind, lets them get a good night’s sleep.
“If that’s what’s required, that’s what they do.”
While their tough demeanor might have an intimidating impact on defendants in abuse cases, Bagger insists that BACA members are not vigilantes.
“We don’t chase bad guys,” he explained. “We are here for the kids.”
