As technology has advanced, online child sexual exploitation has drastically increased in Canada. In fact, between 2014 and 2020, Cybertip.ca processed over 4.3 million child sexual exploitation reports. We can only begin to solve this problem as a country if we learn more about it.
Online child sexual exploitation is when children are tricked into seeing or participating in online encounters of a sexual nature. Though we all understand it’s a horrific crime, many don’t know how prevalent it is in Canada. As a country, we need to open our eyes to the reality of the problem — and work together to keep our children safe. Last month, the Government of Canada announced the next phase of the Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE) Public Awareness Campaign. The campaign aims to reduce the stigma associated with reporting OCSE by raising awareness of this serious issue with potential victims and their guardians.
“This public awareness campaign is important as we work to protect youth from online child sexual exploitation,” said Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
“It highlights that when children are online, they are never really alone. We hope that those who care for children and teens can leverage the information and tools we have created to become more aware of the risks — and effectively communicate them to kids. We want to help them navigate predatory behaviour that takes place on the internet, on social media, and in youth-friendly applications and games.”
OCSE in Canada has increased exponentially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as children and teens have been spending more time online, yet many people are not aware of how serious the problem is in Canada – or how devastating the impacts are on its victims.
A practice that has gained momentum during the pandemic is “capping,” where “cappers” record sexual videos or take screenshots of nude children – often without the child’s awareness. Cappers gravitate towards social media platforms commonly used by youth, and then use these platforms to obtain sexual images and extort their victims for money or for more images.
To help combat OCSE, the government has launched resources for youth, for parents and caregivers and for educators.
To learn more about the Government of Canada’s strategy to combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation, visit the Public Safety Canada website. If you need help or know someone who does, click here for resources.
