Sexual Exploitation of Children Online

Landscape

• The Internet has facilitated easy, borderless access to, and sharing of, large quantities of images and videos of children be ing sexually exploited. 80% of victims are female, and 78% are under age 12.
  
• Child sexual abuse material includes text, video, audio recordings, and pornographic images; 50% of images/video depict sexual assault against children.
• Child sexual exploitation online includes the recording/sharing of material, youth generated materials and sexting, use of coercion and threats (sextortion), grooming and luring, and live child sexual abuse streaming by online predators.
  
• Law enforcement partners in Canada and abroad have all noticed increased online activity related to the sexual exploitation of children during the COVID 19 pandemic.

National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet (2004)

• The National Strategy provides a whole of Government approach to combat online child sexual exploitation, delivering activities across four pillars:
  
  • Prevention and Awareness
    
  • Pursuit, Disruption and Prosecution
    
  • Protection
    
  • Partnership, and Research and Strategic Support
    
  • Ongoing Investments for the National Strategy total over $18 M annually
    
  • Budget 2019: $22.24 million over 3 years for PS

National Strategy: Core Responsibilities and Partnerships

Public Safety Canada
$22.24 million over 3 years (2019/20$22.24 million over 3 years (2019/20
2021/22) + $3.85 million ongoing

• Coordination, oversight, and research
• Policy Development and Program Delivery

Key Public Safety Activities

• Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime
• National Awareness Campaign
  
• Training Symposium for criminal justice professionals
  
• Digital industry engagement

Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime

• Canadian Center for Child Protection
  
• Internet Child Exploitation Units
  
• Prevention programs for individuals at risk of offending
  
• Targeted awareness campaigns

RCMP ($14 million ongoing)

• National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC)
  
  • Investigations to track down predators
    
  • Identification and rescue of victims
    
  • Training, research and investigative support for municipal, territorial, provincial, federal, and international police

Justice Canada ($0.2 million ongoing)

• Legislative updates
  
  • Bill C 22, An Act Respecting the Mandatory Reporting of Internet Child Pornography by Persons who Provide an Internet Service , making mandatory reporting for internet service providers
    
  • Amendment to Criminal Code to prohibit sharing of intimate images without consent
    
• Training and support for justice practitioners

Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) ($2.75 million per year from PS)

The C3P is a charitable organization dedicated to reducing child victimization by providing national programs and services to the public, including:

• Cybertip.ca: Established 2002, Cybertip.ca is Canada's tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children
  
• Project Arachnid: Launched in 2017, Project Arachnid detects abuse material found online, allowing requests for removal to be sent to ISPs
  
• Victim Identification and Support Strategy: Provides assistance to survivors and tailored resources for victims and their families
  
• Provides public education and awareness on the issue of child sexual exploitation on the Internet

International Engagement

Five Country Ministerial

• Online child sexual exploitation and abuse was a focus of the 2019 FCM
  
• Implement Voluntary Principles to guide industry efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation

WePROTECT Global Alliance

• Movement dedicated to national and global action to end sexual exploitation of children online (includes states, NGOs and Civil Society Organizations)
  
• WePROTECT to take on new role to promote and track endorsement of Voluntary Principles

United Nations

• Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2000)
  
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

Virtual Global Taskforce

• International law enforcement alliance
  
• Intelligence/data sharing
  
• RCMP Chair

Next Steps

• Continue implementation of Budget 2019 commitments
  
• Continue engagement with International Stakeholders
  
• Strengthen partnerships with NGOs and with digital industry
  
• Increase engagement with Provincial/territorial government

Date modified:

2021-08-16