The death of a 12-year-old Prince George boy who police and his family say fell victim to online sextortion has Kelowna RCMP urging parents to have open conversations with their children.
So far in 2023, the Kelowna RCMP said they've received more than 100 complaints of online sextortion, the crime of extorting money or sexual favours from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of online sexual activity.
Sextortion, RCMP said, is most prevalent in youth between the ages of 13 and 18, RCMP said.
“Our children are increasingly using various online and texting apps including gaming, where they can communicate with people they may not know. This can potentially segue into a risk of sextortion and we must monitor their online activities “Const. Mike Della-Paolera said.
“The RCMP are encouraging victims of sextortion to reach out for help by reporting them to police. You are a victim and you will not be in trouble for reporting.”
The Kelowna RCMP ICE Unit along with members of the Crown Counsel office have presented in many Grade 12 Law classes this school year, focusing on the dangers of online communications and posting intimate images online.
RCMP said presentations have been positively received by both students and teachers, and demonstrate Kelowna's collaborative commitment to addressing this increasing crime trend. These presentations will continue into the school year.
“If you are the target of a sextortion attempt, we remind you to stop all communication immediately with that person and do not give in to their demands,” RCMP said. “Deactivate the accounts that you are using to communicate with that person and most importantly, reach out for help and report it. Call your local police and contact NeedHelpNow.ca and Cybertip.ca for support.”
Sextortion is a problem that's increasing across the country.
“We have a public health emergency on our hands,” Signy Arnason, the associated executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (CCCP), told Global News in an interview.
Back in September, the CCCP's national tip line for reporting online child sexual abuse, Cybertip.ca, reported they were receiving on average 40 reports of sextortion per week. Today, that number has increased to 50 per week.
Cybertip says when the gender of victims is known, 91 per cent of those targeted in sextortion cases have been male, with teen boys between the ages of 14 and 17 most likely to be impacted.
The agency says male victims are predominantly exploited for money, as opposed to female victims who are coerced into providing more sexual images.
Statistics Canada reported last year that police-reported extortion cases in Canada rose by nearly 300 per cent in the last decade. It also says non-consensual distribution of intimate images involving adult or child victims increased by 194 cases in 2021, a nine-per-cent jump from the year before, and a 52-per-cent increase compared with the previous five-year average.
— with files from Sean Boyton
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
