Online child exploitation in B.C. nearly quadrupled from 2021 to 2023!
Online child exploitation cases in B.C. almost quadrupled from 2021 to 2023, driven by increased technology use during COVID-19. Const. Solana Pare warns this issue will persist as children use online platforms at younger ages. Authorities highlight the inadequacy of current tools to combat the rising trend of online child sexual exploitation.
Online pradators are increasingly targeting platforms where children gather, leading to a surge in police cases. Dta shows the issue spiked during COVID-19, with cases nearly quadrupling in British Columbia from 2021 to 2023.
Const. Solana Pare warns that child exploitation is likely to continue as technology advances. With more children using online platforms at younger ages, predators have more oppurtunities to connect with them.
Police reort child exploitation cases in B.C. rose from 4,600 in 2021 to 15,920 in 2023. Nationally, online child sexual exploitation reported to police increased by 58% from 2019 to 2022. The RCMP's National Child Exploitation Crime Centre received 118,162 reports of suspected online child exploitation offences from April 2023 to March 2024, a 15% increase from the previous year.
Monique St.Germain of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection says that the most common child luring involves online communication to produce abusive material.She notes the pandemic acceleratd these case, and authoritie's tools are inadequate for the problem's scope and scale.Recent victims include 12-year-old Carson Cleland and a 16-year-old Willion Doiron,both of whom died by suicide after being targeted. Mounties across Canada warn of the severe consequences, including self-harm and suicide.
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