Avenues for Victims of Child Sexual Exploitation Online
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Fully releasable: Yes
Branch / Agency: CSCCB/LESBS/SOC
Issue:
Discuss avenues for victims of child sexual exploitation online.
Proposed Response:
- Online child sexual exploitation is one of the most horrendous crimes in today’s society and we must do everything in our power to support and protect victims from further exploitation.
- The Government of Canada strongly encourages all victims of crime to come forward and seek the help of police to help solve crimes and identify offenders.
- The RCMP is committed to supporting survivors of all types of criminal violence, and ensuring that investigations are robust and professional.
- Victims of online child sexual exploitation can reach out to their local law enforcement agency and file a complaint.
- Victims and survivors can also report to Cybertip.ca, which is Canada’s tipline for reporting online child sexual exploitation, run by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection triages these reports and engages law enforcement, as required.
- The Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s NeedHelpNow.ca also helps youth negatively impacted by sexting by providing guidance on removal of pictures and information about the laws in Canada around these cases, as well as providing assistance for those seeking emotional support.
- Finally, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection also manages Project Arachnid a web-crawler which sends take-down notices to content-hosting companies for the removal of child sexual exploitation content.
Background:
Online child sexual exploitation is one of the digital age’s most pressing safety issues that continues to increase in terms of scope, reach and impacts. The sexual exploitation of children is a heinous crime and is a serious concern for the Government, law enforcement agencies and partners in other orders of government and internationally.
RCMP National Child Exploitation Crime Centre
The National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC) has been in operation since 2004, and is the national law enforcement arm of the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet. The NCECC is the central point of contact for investigations related to the online sexual exploitation of children across the country and internationally when the victim or offender is Canadian.
More specifically, the Mandate of the NCECC is to :
- reduce the vulnerability of children to Internet-facilitated sexual exploitation by identifying victimized children;
- investigate and assist in the prosecution of sexual offenders; developing and deploying innovative technologies; and
- provide support and strengthen the capacity of municipal, territorial, provincial, federal, and international police agencies through training, operational research, technological advancement, intelligence sharing and investigative support.
Criminal Code Offences
The Criminal Code provides a comprehensive range of offences relating to online child sexual exploitation, and it is possible for an Internet service located in Canada to be charged criminally if they are making child pornography available or distributing it. Any possible charges would be the result of an investigation and an assessment of the available evidence. The RCMP works with the criminal justice community to determine whether charges would be pursued and to bring offenders to justice.
The Criminal Code also authorizes courts to order the removal of specific material, for example a voyeuristic recording, an intimate image, and child pornography that is stored on and made available through a computer system in Canada.
Companies also have reporting and notification obligations under the Mandatory Reporting Act. Companies that knowingly have child sexual exploitation material on their servers must inform law enforcement and provide the secured evidence. They can be charged for non-compliance with the Mandatory Reporting Act.
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) is a not-for-profit organization responsible for operating Cybertip.ca, the national tip line. C3P receives $2.76 million per year (representing 76% of total project funding) from Public Safety Canada. This funding supports the operation of Cybertip.ca, the national tip-line where Canadians can report suspected cases of online child sexual exploitation, as well as $857k per year for Project Arachnid, a web-crawling tool to identify child sexual abuse material online.
Funding also supports other C3P activities such as the production and dissemination of awareness and education materials and support to victims and survivors. For example, C3P manages NeedHelpNow.ca, a website that provides guidance to youth negatively impacted by non-consensual sharing of intimate images by: helping them navigate the process to request the removal of material; providing information on applicable laws in Canada; supporting them through any resulting cyberbullying; and helping them to seek emotional support.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Mathilde Brière-Audet, Senior Policy Advisor, 613-302-3277,
Approved by: Talal Dakalbab, Assistant Deputy Minister, Community Safety and Countering Crime Branch, 613-852-1167
- Date modified: