Online child sexual exploitation crimes have seen a sharp increase since the pandemic, placing significant strain on police and authorities. According to Const. Solana Pare of the British Columbia RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Investigation Team, the surge in cases is linked to the rise in online activity during the pandemic, and these cases have not decreased even after the lockdowns were lifted. Pare highlighted that children are using electronic devices and social media at younger ages, providing more opportunities for online predators to exploit them. She cautioned that such crimes are likely to continue as online engagement among children grows.
The statistics reflect the alarming trend. In British Columbia alone, the number of reported cases of child sexual exploitation has risen from 4,600 in 2021 to 9,600 in 2022 and 15,920 in 2023. Nationwide, online child sexual exploitation crimes reported to police increased by 58% from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, the RCMP National Child Exploitation Crime Centre received 118,162 reports of suspected child sexual exploitation between April 2023 and March 2024, marking a 15% increase from the previous year. These cases often involve the distribution, enticement, and intimidation of sexual images, with ‘sextortion’ becoming a major concern. Sextortion occurs when perpetrators obtain or manipulate sexual images of victims, threatening to release them unless money or further sexual content is provided. The term gained widespread attention after the tragic death of Amanda Todd in 2015, a 15-year-old girl who took her own life following online intimidation.
Recent suicides of 12-year-old Carson Cleland from Prince George and 16-year-old William Doiron from New Brunswick, both victims of sextortion, have further amplified the urgency of addressing this issue across Canada. “Technological advancements are exacerbating the problem,” said Monique Saint-Germain, legal counsel for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. While police utilize digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to capture evidence, there are limitations to how social media platforms can voluntarily moderate harmful content.
In response to the growing crisis, the federal government introduced the Online Harm Prevention Act in February of this year, which aims to protect children and combat revenge pornography. The bill requires social media companies to submit risk reduction plans for users, particularly minors, and establishes a Digital Safety Commission with the authority to impose fines for non-compliance. However, critics argue that Canada is lagging the UK, which will implement the Online Safety Act in 2025 to strengthen child protection. “Canada is seriously behind in tackling the problem of online harmful content,” said Saint-Germain, emphasizing the need for stronger legal and technological tools to combat borderless crime.
While some provincial governments have acted, such as British Columbia’s introduction of the Nonconsensual Images Protection Act in January, which allows victims to request the removal of harmful images quickly, experts warn that provincial legislation alone is insufficient. They argue that federal regulation is essential to effectively combat the global nature of these crimes.