Trudeau government gives $4M to fight child sexual exploitation

By Cormac Mac Sweeney

With a rise in disturbing child sexual exploitation cases in Canada, the Trudeau government is committing $4-million over five years in new funding to combat the crime.

The money will go to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

Public Safety minister Ralph Goodale said it will help fund a computer system that automatically searches the internet to identify child abuse material and fund cybertip.ca, which allows people to report online child porn.

“We want to do everything in our power to prevent and remove this repugnant material,” he said.

The government funding will also help increase support for victims.

The centre’s executive director, Lianna McDonald, was at the funding announcement and read from one survivor’s story about the ongoing struggle.

“I live every day with the horrible knowledge that people somewhere are watching the most terrifying moments of my life and taking grotesque pleasure in them.”

Between 2015 and 2016 there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of child porn incidents in Canada.

McDonald said the details from survivors are even more troubling.

“Eighty-two per cent were abused by parents or extended family members when involving multiple offenders. Fifty-six per cent indicated that the abuse began before the age of four years old,” she explained.

Goodale said not only are these cases on the rise, but so are the number of charges and convictions.

McDonald said the centre is on track to investigate more than 90,000 tips this year.

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