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 being 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

• 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:

2021-08-20