Child pornography in our schools: Hundreds of criminal charges each year against minors

Hundreds of child pornography charges are filed every year against minors who produce or share explicit content without their partner’s consent, increasingly as early as elementary school.

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“They end up with electronic devices that are ultra-efficient. Then, they do not necessarily realize that by sending photos, they will commit two or three criminal offences, ”underlines Me Louis-David Bénard, prosecutor at the Youth Affairs Office of the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP ).

Since 2018, more than 300 counts of possession, distribution or production of child pornography have been filed on average each year in the Youth Division.

The newspaper obtained this data from the DPCP under the Access to Information Act, as the Government of Quebec steps up its fight against sexual violence in our schools.

The phenomenon continues to be felt this year with 59 charges recorded by the authorities during the first three months of 2023.

But these statistics paint an incomplete picture of the phenomenon, warns M^e Benard.

“I am convinced that we do not see everything that is happening,” said the prosecutor.

Shame and isolation

Most of these behaviors begin outside of schools. For example, a person will be filmed without their knowledge during a sexual relationship, and the video will be redistributed.

Or a boy will receive racy photos of a girl and pass them on to friends without her consent.

It also happens that after a breakup, one of the partners takes revenge by sharing images on social networks.

“It’s a crime that can be very harmful for young victims because these people are in the midst of development,” argues Marie-Christine Villeneuve, spokesperson for the Network of Centers for Assistance to Victims of Acts criminals. It often arouses a strong sense of shame and it often leads to isolation. »

To prevent and intervene quickly, the SEXTO project was launched a few years ago, in partnership with schools, the police and the DPCP. In certain cases, it makes it possible to avoid the triggering of criminal investigations.

Even before high school

“We prefer to educate young people through this process instead of taking them to court,” underlines Me Louis-David Bénard, who is the project coordinator. A sexting file can get out of hand quickly. »

A wise strategy, especially since the average age of the accused is decreasing.

“We got it named, that in primary school, we see more and more cases,” said the prosecutor.

“We have requests from primary schools saying: they are 11 years old, what do we do? It takes a report to youth protection. Criminally, young people under the age of 12, we cannot prosecute them, ”he adds.

Since January 2020, more than 400 police officers from the Sûreté du Québec have also attended SEXTO project training.

“The important thing is to have a very clear speech with these young people,” said Benoit Richard, lieutenant-coordinator at the SQ.

If more prevention in this area is always welcome, “it must be done within a framework and a curriculum that is fairly well defined”, insists the police officer.

Regular discussions on sexuality to facilitate awareness

Parents and teachers must build a bond of trust with the new generations to discuss sexuality and prevent slippages related to the sharing of explicit content, explains a worker.

“There is this kind of continuous and informal conversation that parents can have from a very young age,” summarizes Sara Mathieu-Chartier, lecturer in sex education at the University of Montreal.

“It’s about seizing opportunities precisely when something is happening in the news, we talk about it openly, so as to calmly and gradually equip ourselves to deal with different situations,” she adds.

The importance of intervening quickly in cases of sharing of explicit content is always felt, as suggested by the numerous counts of child pornography filed each year in the Youth Chamber in Quebec.

Beyond the legal

But before ending up in court, there are strategies, upstream, to raise awareness among young people, argues Sara Mathieu-Chartier.

By first discussing broader concepts such as consent or shared pleasure, sending daring images or messages can be gradually approached.

“One of the interventions that can be interesting is to talk about why are we doing this? Why do we sext with someone? points out the community researcher at Club Sexu. It’s always going to understand the intentions, the feelings behind that, beyond just legal discourse. »

Adequate training

In schools, the approach of teachers can also be complex.

“Despite the openness and good will, there is also a feeling of not having been trained adequately and of being taken to shoulder a heavy responsibility,” notes Ms.^me Mathieu-Chartier, who has trained school teams and teachers in recent years.

In any case, adults should avoid “over-empowering potential victims,” blaming their actions.

“If it happened to our teenager, and we are in a situation where a photo is circulating, it will take a lot longer before we seek help,” says the lecturer.