Newfoundland and Labrador’s child and youth advocate says two children placed in foster care had their rights violated after procedures went unfollowed, allowing alleged abuse to go undetected.

According to a recently released report, Wilma MacInnis found the children — originally from an unnamed province in the report but later identified by the minister responsible as from Ontario — lived in N.L. for two years without proper oversight because required agreements were never finalized. Problems surrounding communication and monitoring of the children’s safety were also found, which resulted in their alleged abuse going unreported until 2023.

“We want to make sure there is focus on the rights of young people in our province, and that these situations don’t happen again, because it is certainly, totally unacceptable,” MacInnis told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.