Online sexual exploitation is the actual or attempted abuse of someone in a position of vulnerability by using power or trust to manipulate that person for sexual purposes, monetary gain and/or influence, and it can happen to anyone using the internet and digital technology. When someone manipulates you into doing sexual acts, such as sharing sexual photos or videos, even on social media platforms where content can disappear, like Snapchat, this is online sexual exploitation. It can also include doing sexual activities over video chat, which may involve someone asking you to perform acts while they watch or forcing you to watch them perform acts. With the rise of social media in the digital era, the rate of online sexual exploitation has increased.
|
Although online sexual exploitation is a global problem, there is a common myth that it is not happening in Canada. But Canada is not immune to human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. In 2020, child luring online increased by 244 cases or 15% compared to the year before[i]. And 97% of victims of police-reported incidents of human trafficking in Canada are women or girls, more than 1 in 5 are 17 years of age or younger and 74% are 25 or younger[ii]. Often, traffickers target youth from vulnerable communities, such as 2SLGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, and newcomer and immigrant youth.
[i] Canadian Centre for Child Protection, News Release, July 27, 2021 [ii] Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada, December 7, 2020, |
It is also important to recognize that due to various systemic issues and socioeconomic factors, Black, Indigenous and other people of colour are most at risk, as are transgender, gender non-conforming and other people who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Transgender people, and particularly trans women, experience higher rates of gender-based violence, including online sexual exploitation. This is due to a combination of several factors including transphobia, a lack of government supports and interventions to assist at-risk trans youth, isolation and rejection from family and loved ones, which may be compounded by state interventions and placement in foster care. Placement in the child welfare system puts trans youth, particularly trans girls, at even greater risks of abuse and online exploitation.
Sextortion is the practice of extorting money, sexual favours or other things from someone by threatening to reveal someone's sexualized activities or content, such as pictures or videos. It can occur in many ways. At times, it may be a youth who has created sexual content (without the involvement of an adult) that is used to extort them, or it may involve two young people sharing images with each other, and then one person threatens to share the content with another individual or group. Additionally, sextortion may occur when an offender video records or takes photos of their victim with or without their consent. Other times, traffickers will manipulate youth into creating this content and then use it to further control them.
The impacts of online sexual exploitation are dangerous and long-lasting, yet many people are unaware of the various ways it occurs.
Transgender people, and particularly trans women, experience higher rates of gender-based violence, including online sexual exploitation. This is due to a combination of several factors including transphobia, a lack of government supports and interventions to assist at-risk trans youth, isolation and rejection from family and loved ones, which may be compounded by state interventions and placement in foster care. Placement in the child welfare system puts trans youth, particularly trans girls, at even greater risks of abuse and online exploitation.
Sextortion is the practice of extorting money, sexual favours or other things from someone by threatening to reveal someone's sexualized activities or content, such as pictures or videos. It can occur in many ways. At times, it may be a youth who has created sexual content (without the involvement of an adult) that is used to extort them, or it may involve two young people sharing images with each other, and then one person threatens to share the content with another individual or group. Additionally, sextortion may occur when an offender video records or takes photos of their victim with or without their consent. Other times, traffickers will manipulate youth into creating this content and then use it to further control them.
The impacts of online sexual exploitation are dangerous and long-lasting, yet many people are unaware of the various ways it occurs.
