Cybertip.ca

Canada’s national tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children

Report: Report Types

Please note that Cybertip.ca does not encourage or authorize anyone to search for or otherwise seek out child pornography content. Accessing child pornography is a crime in Canada.

Child Sexual Abuse Material (Possession, Manufacture, Distribution and Accessing of Child Pornography)

Known under the Criminal Code as child pornography, certain extreme forms of child sexual abuse material include any naked or semi-naked sexual pictures or videos of a person under 18 that are focused on the child’s sexual organs or anal region, or pictures or videos of a person under 18 engaging in a sex act. It is illegal to view, keep, send, post, or take such pictures or videos. Certain types of written and audio materials that describe or advocate for the sexual abuse of children are also illegal.

Luring a Child

Luring is a situation where one person (typically an adult, but not always) communicates with a child/youth through technology, like direct messaging or text, to make it easier to commit a specific sexual offence against the child/youth.

An example of a communication that may be reported as luring is if the person asks, hints at, or tries to convince the child/youth to create or send naked or semi-naked sexual pictures or videos.

Non-Consensual Distribution of Intimate Images (of an individual under 18 years of age)

Non-consensual Distribution of Intimate Images is when someone has a private sexual/intimate picture/video of someone and they share it on purpose without the person’s consent.

Making Sexually Explicit Material Available to a Child

Making sexually explicit material available to a child is showing or sending material like pornography to a child to make it easier to commit a sexual offence against the child.

Agreement or arrangement with another person to commit a sexual offence against a child

Agreeing or Arranging to Commit a Sexual Offence against a Person under 18 through technology, like texting, direct messaging, or emailing, is also prohibited by law.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

The commercial sexual exploitation of children refers to the sexual exploitation of a person under the age of 18 through prostitution. The sexual exploitation involves the exchange of consideration (money, shelter, food, drugs etc.) to engage in sexual activity with a child. Specifically, the Criminal Code contains several offences in relation to the commercial sexual exploitation of children:

  1. Obtaining sexual services from a person under 18: Obtaining for consideration, or communicating with anyone for the purpose of obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under the age of 18.
  2. Obtaining a material benefit from sexual services provided by a person under 18: receiving a financial or other material benefit (e.g., money, food, drugs etc.), knowing that it is obtained by or derived directly or indirectly from a person obtaining sexual services from a person under the age of 18.
  3. Procuring (referred to colloquially as pimping): procuring a person under 18 to offer or provide sexual services for consideration or, for the purpose of facilitating the provision of the sexual services of a person under 18, recruits, holds, conceals or harbours a person under the age of 18 who offers or provides sexual services for consideration, or exercises control, direction or influence over the movements of that person).

Trafficking of Children

Any person who recruits, transports, transfers, receives, holds, conceals, or harbours a child, or exercises control, direction or influence over the movements of a child, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation is engaging in the act of human trafficking of a child. It is an offence under the Criminal Code to engage in this activity. Human trafficking of a child can occur within Canada (i.e. recruiting children from one Canadian city to another Canadian city for the purpose of exploiting them) or involve other countries (i.e. transporting a child from Russia to Canada for the purpose of exploiting them).

Travelling to Sexually Exploit a Child

Traveling to a foreign country to engage in sexual activity with a child, sometimes referred to as child sex tourism, has become a well‑developed component of the commercial‑sexual exploitation of children. It is an offence under the Criminal Code for a Canadian to engage in this activity. A person can be tried for this offence upon return to Canada. The offender will be treated as if the incident occurred on Canadian soil, and the penalties will be the same as if the offences had occurred in Canada.

Cybertip.ca deals with online sexual victimization involving individuals under 18 years of age. However, it is important to note that the non‑consensual distribution of an intimate image offence also applies to adults. If you are an adult concerned about a sexual (intimate) image being shared without your consent, learn more about the steps you can take.