Increase in reports of child computer luring
Reports of children's computer luring are up 66 percent in Canada during
this period of containment linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no region of the country more targeted than another. It is certain that in proportion to the population, we receive more reports
in Quebec and Ontario. These are specific reports where an adult communicates with a child in order to obtain images of a sexual content. Elsewhere in the world, the increase is in the order of 30 to 40 per cent, ”said spokesperson
for the Canadian Center for Child Protection, René Morin.
The provincial coordinator of the Concertation Committee in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet,
Me Joanny Saint-Pierre, explains that the offense of computer luring consists in communicating with a person under the
age of 18 by a means of telecommunications in order to facilitate the commission of a criminal act of a sexual nature.
“It is a type of crime where both the abusers and the victims stay at home. In this period when children and adolescents spend more time
in front of their screen, the door is open to communicate with them. Some judges compare the computer lure to a break
and enter into the bedroom of the child victim, "said the prosecutor.
Tik Tok, Messenger, Facebook, Whatsapp, Fortnite are all platforms that allow abusers to get in touch and communicate with potential victims.
“All means of direct communication can be used by abusers. Like any offense, the more ways to commit it, the more it can be committed.
As soon as an easier door is opened to get to the victim, the more chance there is to get there, ”says Mr. Saint-Pierre.
The Canadian Center for Child Protection explains that police analysts are scanning the “dark web”
to find out the strategies of cyber predators to prevent crimes against children.
“The activity is very strong in order to take advantage of the current circumstances. They talk about the best platforms or strategies
to target children. On all platforms where there are children, there are going to be predators. Online games where there is chat
or platforms such as Omegle where children are randomly brought into contact with other people are popular, ”says René Morin.
A modeling agency, romantic advances and job offers are all strategies that have been used in recent years
by cyber predators in the Eastern Townships to reach their victims.
“The peculiarity of the Internet is that it allows this possibility of hiding under false profiles by using another sex, another age or
a false pretext. We must also not forget that a family member or friend can use social media to get closer to a child and commit
this type of computer luring offense, ”said Mr. Saint-Pierre.
She said it was not necessary for another crime such as inciting sexual contact or child pornography to be committed
for a charge of computer luring to be allowed.
"The objective of the computer luring offense is to criminalize communications to prevent action. The purpose of the offense is to prevent
the opportunity from being created. In some cases, an assailant will take several months to go to the stage of sexual gestures, while in other cases, an assailant will take less than two or four hours before obtaining sexual photos of a minor victim ”, indicates Me Saint-Pierre.
Whether the abuser makes only one victim, dozens or even hundreds, the authorities attach the same importance.
"Like any offense, it takes a complaint to start an investigation. This type of offense must be reported. If we intervene when there is only one victim, we may have saved several others. With this type of crime, the number of victims can become exponential,
”points out Me Joanny Saint-Pierre.
In this period of confinement where children and adolescents spend a lot of time in front of their screens, the Sûreté du Québec confirms
that there is an increase in reports for offenses related to cybercrime.
"This is a phenomenon that we are actually seeing," confirms the spokesperson for the SQ in Estrie, Sergeant Aurélie Guindon.
this period of containment linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no region of the country more targeted than another. It is certain that in proportion to the population, we receive more reports
in Quebec and Ontario. These are specific reports where an adult communicates with a child in order to obtain images of a sexual content. Elsewhere in the world, the increase is in the order of 30 to 40 per cent, ”said spokesperson
for the Canadian Center for Child Protection, René Morin.
The provincial coordinator of the Concertation Committee in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet,
Me Joanny Saint-Pierre, explains that the offense of computer luring consists in communicating with a person under the
age of 18 by a means of telecommunications in order to facilitate the commission of a criminal act of a sexual nature.
“It is a type of crime where both the abusers and the victims stay at home. In this period when children and adolescents spend more time
in front of their screen, the door is open to communicate with them. Some judges compare the computer lure to a break
and enter into the bedroom of the child victim, "said the prosecutor.
Tik Tok, Messenger, Facebook, Whatsapp, Fortnite are all platforms that allow abusers to get in touch and communicate with potential victims.
“All means of direct communication can be used by abusers. Like any offense, the more ways to commit it, the more it can be committed.
As soon as an easier door is opened to get to the victim, the more chance there is to get there, ”says Mr. Saint-Pierre.
The Canadian Center for Child Protection explains that police analysts are scanning the “dark web”
to find out the strategies of cyber predators to prevent crimes against children.
“The activity is very strong in order to take advantage of the current circumstances. They talk about the best platforms or strategies
to target children. On all platforms where there are children, there are going to be predators. Online games where there is chat
or platforms such as Omegle where children are randomly brought into contact with other people are popular, ”says René Morin.
A modeling agency, romantic advances and job offers are all strategies that have been used in recent years
by cyber predators in the Eastern Townships to reach their victims.
“The peculiarity of the Internet is that it allows this possibility of hiding under false profiles by using another sex, another age or
a false pretext. We must also not forget that a family member or friend can use social media to get closer to a child and commit
this type of computer luring offense, ”said Mr. Saint-Pierre.
She said it was not necessary for another crime such as inciting sexual contact or child pornography to be committed
for a charge of computer luring to be allowed.
"The objective of the computer luring offense is to criminalize communications to prevent action. The purpose of the offense is to prevent
the opportunity from being created. In some cases, an assailant will take several months to go to the stage of sexual gestures, while in other cases, an assailant will take less than two or four hours before obtaining sexual photos of a minor victim ”, indicates Me Saint-Pierre.
Whether the abuser makes only one victim, dozens or even hundreds, the authorities attach the same importance.
"Like any offense, it takes a complaint to start an investigation. This type of offense must be reported. If we intervene when there is only one victim, we may have saved several others. With this type of crime, the number of victims can become exponential,
”points out Me Joanny Saint-Pierre.
In this period of confinement where children and adolescents spend a lot of time in front of their screens, the Sûreté du Québec confirms
that there is an increase in reports for offenses related to cybercrime.
"This is a phenomenon that we are actually seeing," confirms the spokesperson for the SQ in Estrie, Sergeant Aurélie Guindon.
