Online child sexual exploitation

Local police services handle initial complaints about online child sexual exploitation.

To anonymously report online sexual exploitation of a child, please complete the Cybertip.ca Report Form.

If you know about a child who is in immediate danger or risk, call 911 or your local police.

National Child Exploitation Crime Centre

The National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC) is the point of contact for investigations related to sexual exploitation of children on the internet in Canada. The NCECC also helps to validate international requests and prepare packages for jurisdictions in Canada. Services include:

  • the investigation of transnational child sex offenders
  • technological advancements
  • criminal intelligence relating to child sexual exploitation
  • undercover operations
  • victim identification
  • Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty-related coordination
  • Proactive multi-jurisdictional investigations

Services for Canadian police agencies

NCECC helps Canadian police agencies with:

  • Responding immediately to a child at risk
  • Coordinating investigative files
  • Identifying victims of child sexual exploitation
  • Managing multi-jurisdictional cases
  • Understanding legislation, treaties, extradition orders and statistics
  • Research relevant to operations
  • Training for investigating online sexual exploitation
  • Management of and training for intelligence tools for sharing information
  • Technical support for operations

Requesting services

Canadian and international police services can contact the RCMP to request NCECC services. Only our policing partners may request these services.

Virtual Global Taskforce

The RCMP is combatting online child sexual abuse and other forms of transnational child sexual offending worldwide as a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT). The VGT is an international law enforcement alliance that aims to:

  • Increase the number of offenders arrested
  • Increase the number of children protected
  • Increase international law enforcement collaboration

The importance of language

We do not use the term "child pornography" when referring to depictions of child sexual abuse, including:

  • images
  • videos
  • written materials

We use the term "child sexual exploitation material", or CSEM. Many of our partners who investigate these crimes also avoid using "child pornography".

The term "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex offenders because it:

  • suggests the offences are consensual acts
  • evokes images of children being provocative, rather than suffering horrific sexual abuse
    • This can help child sexual offenders to justify and normalize their crimes.

Every photograph, video and piece of written material captures a situation where a child has been exploited and abused.

Cybertip.ca tipline

Cybertip.ca is Canada's online tipline for reporting online sexual exploitation of children, including:

  • sex tourism
  • child prostitution
  • internet luring
  • child abuse

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection operates Cybertip.ca. It does not investigate crimes. It is a resource centre for the community and law enforcement that allows the public to report illegal web content. It also helps with the investigation and prosecution of those who use the internet to victimize children.

For more information on educational materials for the protection of children, see Cybertip.ca.

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