(Ottawa) The rate of online child pornography reported by police almost quadrupled in Canada between 2014 and 2022.
Statistics Canada specifies that it went from 50 cases per 100,000 children and youth in 2014 to 160 eight years later.
The federal agency reports that between 2014 and 2022, the phenomenon of online child pornography reported to the police jumped from 32 to 125 cases per 100,000 children and young people.
Statistics Canada believes that this marked increase can be explained by a real increase in this type of crime, an increased level of awareness and reporting among the population or by an increase in police resources and training which allows them to to better detect the sexual exploitation of children online. A combination of all these factors is also possible.
Two in five cases of online child sexual offenses are resolved by police and 74% of cases cleared resulted in charges being laid or recommended against an alleged perpetrator.
Statistics Canada adds that a third of accusations of online child sexual exploitation lead to a guilty verdict.
Statistics also show that similar to trends in violent crime in general, particularly sexual offences, boys and men made up the vast majority of those accused of online child sexual offenses. From 2014 to 2022, boys and men were involved in 97% of cases of incitement to sexual contact, in 96% of cases of child luring and in 90% of cases of possession of or access to child pornography. to child pornography.