A desperate e-mail from a young New Brunswick child has sparked an international police effort to get a victim of sexual abuse out of harm's way.

RCMP Cpl. Lana Prosper says the child, who lives at an undisclosed location in New Brunswick, sent a message to the Australian office of Kids Help Line — an address the child found through the widely used internet search engine Google — asking for help.

The e-mail, sent a few weeks before Christmas, said the child was being sexually abused and needed help, but did not leave any identifying information, contact details or where the child lived.

"[The child] sent a message that said this is happening to me, please help me so it doesn't happen anymore," Prosper said.

Staffers at the Australian Kids Help Line contacted the local Queensland police, whose child-exploitation unit began an investigation.

Detectives determined the e-mail originated in North America and contacted staff at the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, who figured out the e-mail was sent from a Canadian location.

The RCMP's Child Exploitation Centre then took over the file, narrowed the origin of the anonymous e-mail to New Brunswick, and quickly asked Bell Aliant, the local internet provider, for the name and address of the account holder.

The company immediately handed over the information, and local police officers spoke to the child within a day of Canadian authorities receiving the original request.

Police are now investigating and no arrests have been made.

Courage praised

Prosper is applauding the alleged victim, who had the courage to ask for help in such an unconventional manner.

She says it's important for children to understand help is out there and will get to them, no matter how circuitous the route.

"There is help out there for them, and however they feel comfortable in getting that help is the important issue," said Prosper. "Whether they choose to tell an adult, tell a teacher, tell the police, or tell an anonymous computer screen … it's important they realize they will get it. All they have to do is ask."

In a news release, federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day also praised the internet provider, Bell Aliant, for releasing the account holder's information so quickly, when the company could have demanded a court order.

Company spokesman Tony Power says under such circumstances, the company's policy is flexible when a person or property is in danger.

"[That] allows us to provide information at that point in time, once it's been designated as an emergency, as such."