British Columbia receives $3.5 million from federal government to combat child sexual exploitation – Theforgegastown

Municipal police services in British Columbia are receiving $3.5 million in federal funding to combat online child exploitation. The funding comes after more than 28,000 related investigations were completed in the province between 2020 and 2023.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in a press release on Saturday (Aug. 24) that the federal government’s Serious and Organized Crime Program will provide funding over the next three years to “strengthen the efforts of municipal law enforcement agencies in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.”

The funding will be used to staff, train and equip the online child exploitation unit, thereby “strengthening” it.

“Child exploitation online happens every day and as social media platforms continue to grow, we must ensure our children are protected from those who would harm them. That’s why we continue to work with the federal government to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to support the units tasked with the very difficult task of investigating these horrific crimes,” Farnworth said.

The press release notes that until recently, the Vancouver Police Department was the only independent municipal police service in the province with a dedicated online child exploitation unit. In 2021, five municipal departments in Greater Victoria launched a pilot project to establish the Capital Regional District Integrated Online Child Exploitation Team.

Many police departments in the province conduct investigations, but do not have resources dedicated solely to cases of online child exploitation.

The province says the funding will increase the capacity of teams in Vancouver and Greater Victoria, while also allowing all municipal police services to increase officer capacity and training.

It will “support efforts to raise awareness, reduce the stigma surrounding reporting, and increase British Columbia and Canada’s capacity to prosecute and prosecute offenders.”

The Ministry of Public Security says reports of online exploitation incidents increased significantly during the COVID-19 health emergency and have continued after the pandemic. The Online Child Exploitation Unit has seen a significant increase in reports of exploitation, such as child luring, grooming and sexual exploitation material, with more than 28,000 investigations opened between 2020 and 2023.

Recently, the Burnaby RCMP reported that a 19-year-old man is facing 23 charges following a nationwide investigation into sextortion involving teenagers in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.

In May, a 31-year-old Langford man was charged in a joint British Columbia-US investigation into alleged child exploitation via a social media app.

In February, a man in Nigeria was charged with financial extortion that led to the death of a Surrey teenager.

In January, Prime Minister David Eby announced his government’s plans to restrict the use of mobile phones in schools, effective from the start of the new school year in September. This came after a 12-year-old boy committed suicide and was the victim of online sextortion.