Government of Canada signals commitment to fight Internet child exploitation

OTTAWA, February 10, 2009 — The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety, today acknowledged Safer Internet Day and announced the renewal of the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet, to help keep our children safe from online predators.

“Safer Internet Day reminds us of the importance in combating online victimization, including – and especially – when it involves our children, said Minister Van Loan. “Valued partners like the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection are already achieving admirable results. I am pleased to announce the renewal of the national strategy that will assist their efforts.”

The National Strategy will help us combat child victimization by:

• Increasing our capacity to investigate and track down on-line predators;
• Enhancing public education and awareness; and,
• Supporting further research on child sexual exploitation.

"The renewal of the national Strategy allows us to continue to provide the Canadian law enforcement community with the specialized training, technological tools, and expert resources required to successfully investigate Internet-facilitated child sexual abuse," said RCMP Superintendent John Bilinski, Officer-in-Charge of the National Child
Exploitation Coordination Centre.

To further highlight the government’s commitment to creating awareness of the risks associated with online activities, the Minister was joined by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to launch their Respect Yourself campaign – involving a comprehensive website for teens and an activity booklet that will be distributed to grade 7 classes across Canada.

“It’s important that teens learn about how their every day online activities can put them at risk,” said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “Children need to know that once a photo, video or text message is shared there is no way to regain full control over it again. The Respect Yourself campaign will guide teens through the risks and provide them with safety strategies to keep them safe.”

Safer Internet Day is an internationally recognized day to promote awareness of safe and responsible use of on-line technologies.

For more information on efforts to combat child sexual exploitation please visit:  www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ncecc-cncee/index-accueil-eng.htm and www.cybertip.ca. For more information on the Respect Yourself campaign, please visit www.cybertip.ca/respectyourself.

Information:

Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657

Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Tish Best, Director of Communications
204-945-6020

Media Relations
RCMP
613-993-2999