(HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Haldimand County Detachment is urging all parents to speak to their children about the dangers of Self-Peer Exploitation after police received a complaint from a Haldimand County, Ontario resident.
On Sunday, May 17, 2015 at approximately 4:07 p.m., police received a complaint and began investigating an incident.
Through the course of investigation it was determined that an explicit photo of a 16 year old female was forwarded to another known individual.
The OPP is concerned about the safety of those involved, and wants to create a greater awareness about the issue and what can be done if anyone finds themselves overwhelmed with the reality of their actions.
There has been a marked increase in the number of reports involving individuals sending sexually explicit images or videos over the internet to peers. This is called self-peer exploitation. It is also known as sexting.
Porn culture is becoming pop culture, and often parents do not know that their kids are involved, and it can be difficult to determine. Parents are encouraged to have honest and frank discussions with their kids about what self-peer exploitation is, and explain that the images can often end up somewhere they may not want them to be. Be prepared to offer them some information about who they can turn to if they need help.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a national charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of children, with a goal to reduce child victimization. They are a great resource, and have many links to information that is helpful to parents, educators and teens themselves. The Centre also has a tip line to report online sexual exploitation called Cybertip.ca. Cybertip.ca is developing and disseminating effective intervention and prevention practices to reach a variety of stakeholders.
“Everyone needs to realize the long and short term dangers of sending out photographs of themselves. Those who distribute it also need to be aware of the criminal ramifications of doing so. Once it’s out there, you can’t get it back. You should not be embarrassed to speak to police about your concerns”, comments Constable Ed Sanchuk.