October 2022
THIS EDITION: First-of-its-kind roundtable gives megaphone to survivors, Amanda Todd case reaches conclusion, marking Cybertip.ca’s 20th anniversary, explosion of sextortion cases
Survivors and their families live with the consequences of online sexual violence against children every day and their voices need to be heard. On October 6th, survivors and their families had their chance to remind three federal cabinet ministers that it is critical to prioritize legislation to regulate online spaces.
Also illustrating the importance of online regulation, was the verdict finally providing justice to the Todd family. Nine years ago, we met with the families of four girls who died by suicide after being tormented and victimized online — Amanda Todd, Rehtaeh Parsons, Jenna Bowers-Bryanton, and Kimberly Proctor. Amanda’s perpetrator is being held accountable following over a decade of investigations and legal battles. Sadly, there are many more Canadian children fighting silently against online sexual violence and it continues to rise.
Leading into fall, we marked the 20th anniversary of Cybertip.ca®, Canada’s national tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children, and took time to reflect on how our tipline’s role has expanded since 2002.
What we’ve been up to
Groundbreaking roundtable discussion provides survivors with platform to connect with policy-makers
Following Cybertip.ca’s 20th anniversary, C3P hosted a virtual roundtable connecting three federal cabinet ministers with survivors and families whose lives have been irreparably changed because of online sexual violence to share valuable insight into much needed changes.
This roundtable was attended by the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety of Canada; the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage of Canada; and the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Families and survivors who represent the spectrum of online sexual violence came together to advocate for change.
The survivor and family representatives implored the Government of Canada to introduce regulations that ensure the same safeguards children have in the offline world are available online, and to hold tech companies accountable for the products they place in the hands of children.
For a full statement about the event, visit protectchildren.ca.
Justice for the Todd family
One of Amanda Todd’s tormentors Aydin Coban, a Dutch national, was sentenced to 13 years in prison on October 14th. The verdict meant more than just holding one man accountable for his unrelenting harassment of Amanda from the ages of 12 to 15. It is a resounding step towards acknowledging the catastrophic harm online violence can have on all youth. It is unacceptable that the burden of keeping youth safe on the internet falls on the shoulders of parents. Until governments require tech companies to make their platforms safe for children to use, children will continue to be gravely harmed.
Lianna McDonald, C3P’s Executive Director, wrote an important piece about the harms the Amanda Todd case foreshadowed for all children online which was published in The Globe & Mail™.
Marking 20 years as leaders in protecting children
The internet was gaining popularity in the early 2000s, entering family’s homes, and opening a world of opportunities, including, connecting with strangers. C3P had the foresight 20 years ago that the internet presents harm to young users, but we never could have imagined how imperative our role would be over the passing decades. The level of violence children now face in the Wild West landscape of the internet was unheard of when Cybertip.ca launched in 2002, but our resolve to support children in this unregulated space has never wavered.
To acknowledge Cybertip.ca’s 20th anniversary, C3P took a trip down memory lane on social media, reliving historic milestones as our Manitoba-born tipline grew into the internationally recognized resource known today.
Online violence cases hit highs
Cybertip.ca saw a 56 per cent increase in sextortion reports from March – August, with the majority of cases (when the victim’s gender was known) involving boys or young men. C3P’s analysis of Cybertip.ca data revealed victims were also predominantly targeted on social media and they did not disclose the incident to a trusted person.
Stephen Sauer, Cybertip.ca Director, described the stark increase in sextortion cases we’ve seen over the past six months to The Canadian Press’® Kelly Geraldine Malone.
In August 2022, Statistics Canada also released their review of police-reported crimes in 2021, which disclosed that cases of sexual crimes against Canadian children increased at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statistics for 2021 paint a notably disturbing picture. In comparison to 2020:
- Sexual interference incidents increased by 1,340 cases, representing an 18 per cent growth.
- Possession of or accessing child pornography incidents increased by 807 cases, representing a 21 per cent growth.
- Luring a child via a computer incidents increased by 96 cases, representing a five per cent growth.
- Non-consensual distribution of intimate images incidents, which can involve adult or child victims, increased by 194 cases, representing a nine per cent growth.
(All Canadian police services, 2010 to 2021)
Cybertip.ca is always available to help support youth facing online harms and educate families, school personnel, and community members about starting conversations about online safety. Our support staff can also help families navigate reporting procedures and access additional resources.
To learn more, visit cybertip.ca/online-harms/.
Update
Representatives from ECPAT Sweden, one of our international allies working within Project Arachnid, joined us in early September for a few days packed with training, child protection discussions, and enlightening conversations. ECPAT Sweden is a children’s rights organization working to combat the sexual exploitation of children and is a member of ECPAT International. Our Swedish friends run the ECPAT Hotline and a dedicated helpline for children and young people.
Notable Developments
Four social media and tech firms are being investigated for endangering children online by UK Information Commissioner John Edwards. The Telegraph says the four companies have not been named publicly, but two are reportedly household names and if the UK decides to prosecute, it will be the first time tech firms have been held accountable for harming children.
California championed children’s online protection in late August when they passed the Age-Appropriate Design Code Act that requires companies to have high privacy settings for children and prohibits using a child’s personal information in a way that will be “materially detrimental to the physical and mental health and well-being of a child.”
The Sydney Morning Herald says Apple®, Microsoft®, and the owner of Facebook® and Instagram® are being pressured by Australian authorities to reveal what parameters these tech titans have in place to detect and report CSAM, and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner issued notices to Snapchat® and Omegle® to explain what they’re doing to combat online violence.
CBC® reached out to our General Counsel, Monique St. Germain, to discuss the rampant risks youth are exposed to on Omegle, a video chat website that is accused of knowingly matching kids with adults.
Join our fight
We started as a grassroots organization and have grown into a national centre to help protect children around the world, and we couldn’t have done it without support from people like you. You can join our fight and stand with survivors by donating or signing our Unwanted Film Festival petition.
About the Canadian Centre for Child Protection: The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) is a national charity dedicated to the personal safety of all children. The organization’s goal is to reduce the sexual abuse and exploitation of children through programs, services, and resources for families, educators, child-serving organizations, law enforcement, and other parties. C3P also operates Cybertip.ca, Canada’s national tipline to report child sexual abuse and exploitation on the internet, and Project Arachnid, a web platform designed to detect known images of CSAM on the clear and dark web and issue removal notices to industry.
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