Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
Heard. Respected. Victims First.
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Special Report:
The Issue
“Child pornography grievously harms all children: it harms the child who is sexually assaulted in the making of the images; the same child is re-victimized every time that image is viewed…. Because no child should be victimized in this horrific way, today we pledge to redouble our efforts to enforce the international fight against child pornography.”
–G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministers2
Generally, more than 90 percent of Canadians are concerned about the distribution of child sexual abuse images, and child sexual exploitation is ranked as one of the top three concerns for parents regarding children.3 The number of charges for production or distribution of child pornography increased by 900 percent between 1998 and 2003.4
Despite these clear concerns, the issue of child sexual abuse and the Internet can sometimes seem to be as difficult to discuss as to tackle. Unfortunately, we do not have a choice. We cannot afford to turn our heads or cover our ears because the problem is growing. And it is getting exponentially worse. Images are getting more and more violent, and the children in those images are getting younger and younger.
This report provides an overview of child sexual abuse and the Internet; where we are, where we have been, the gaps that exist and what we must do to address them. Specifically, the report provides a summary of the scope of the problem, a brief history of the progress that has been made so far and, most importantly, makes nine recommendations for future changes relating to child sexual abuse images, or “child pornography,” to the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety, the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (NCECC) of the RCMP and the Policy Centre for Victim Issues of the Department of Justice.
These recommendations touch on the term “child pornography” itself, on the limitations of our current privacy laws and the dire implications they have for child victims, on the importance of devoting more resources to identifying and rescuing children who are abused, on properly handling victims who are identified and helping them to heal, and on the need to stop the dissemination of this horrible material.
These recommendations are consistent with the Government of Canada’s responsibilities to victims as set out in the Canadian Statement of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the various commitments the Government has made at the United Nations and G8.
If accepted, these recommendations will both make a difference in the lives of innocent children and help make Canada a global leader in trying to identify victims and respond to their needs.
