Cyber sexual violence against children has been on the rise in recent years. Yet only a fraction of the criminal·theare the subject of legal proceedings. According to the International Bureau for Children’s Rights, this is a sign that we cannot rely solely on traditional justice mechanisms to meet the needs of victims.
In recent years and especially since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been an increasing number of cyber sexual violence against children in Canada.
The Canadian Center for Child Protection reported an 815% increase in reports of computer luring children for sexual purposes between 2018 and 2022.
“What was catastrophic was having more and more young people on the internet and less parental control,” said a spokesperson for the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (BIDE). “On the other side, predators have taken advantage of more sophisticated techniques. »
To access victims, predators can use social networks like Facebook or Snapchat, but also online video games that connect several players in real time.
This is how they can gain the trust of their victims, often by impersonating another child in order to possibly encourage them to send explicit photos or videos. These images are then used as leverage to obtain more pornographic material, which often becomes progressively more violent and graphic.
antiquated justice
While the data shows that this type of crime is on the rise in the country, it is difficult to know the true extent of the problem, according to experts, who estimate that only a small portion is the subject of denunciation. And among the cases listed, very few give rise to criminal proceedings.
According to Statistics Canada, only 9% of crimes of online sexual exploitation or abuse against children reported to the police end up in court.
“The justice system as it is now cannot be relied upon to provide redress for children. »
International Bureau for Children’s Rights
A majority of investigations (76%) are dropped by the authorities during their process, before the case is resolved and a perpetrator is identified. This is said to be due to the complexity of the investigation process and the identification of victims and offenders online. The latter are identified in only 24% of cases reported to the police.
“There are mechanisms that are put in place at the [Canada] and internationally to target perpetrators, but it’s very complicated,” explains the BIDE spokesperson. “The justice system as it is now cannot be relied upon to provide redress for children. »
According to the BIDE, criminal prosecutions, in addition to being ineffective, do not always meet the needs of children. “In the immediate term, this is not what will do good to the young victims. »
Solution for and by young people
For the BIDE, some of the existing initiatives to prevent sexual cyber-violence do not sufficiently take into account the reality of young people. For example, “it is part of sexuality, of the reality of young people to send images to each other”, supports the spokesperson. “We can no longer tell them not to send images, because it’s part of their daily life. On the other hand, they must be made aware of the dangers. »
Currently, according to the BIDE, the best bet to counter the problem is therefore to bet on participatory prevention: prevention for and by young people.
This is particularly what is in question in the project Word to young people! in which young people aged 14 to 17, from three schools and two community organizations in Montreal, will be invited to make recommendations to better prevent and act against online sexual violence. They are therefore the ones who will determine a large part of the solution.
“It’s part of sexuality, of the reality of young people to send images to each other. We can no longer tell them not to send images, because it’s part of their daily life. On the other hand, they must be made aware of the dangers. »
International Bureau for Children’s Rights
The idea is first to design an awareness campaign for young people in Quebec on online sexual exploitation, so that they feel challenged.
This awareness should also provide a range of restorative solutions tailored to the needs of victims.
“We can’t have just one answer,” thinks the spokesperson. “Every young person will be different and it’s up to them to decide. »
