Social Value Report
From Winnipeg to the World — Highlights from 2017–18
In the last year there was a shift, or rather a movement. People around the world began to raise their voice and say “#MeToo” and “Never Again.” In those movements, in those shifts, survivors re-gained power — power over their abusers, power over the systems that tried to silence their voices, power over their own lives. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has its own movement by working with survivors whose child sexual abuse was recorded and helping them share their stories.
Project Arachnid has gained significant momentum globally as a tool to address child sexual abuse material on the internet. As an initiative created for the benefit of survivors, it has also become a platform to challenge the inadequate responses to the prevalence of child sexual abuse material on the internet.
Through our victim-centric approach, we have pushed the boundaries of child protection through global-scale initiatives, leading-edge technology, and effective prevention tools.
Results from International Survivors’ Survey Released
On September 26, 2017, the 15th anniversary of Cybertip.ca, the Canadian Centre released the final results of its groundbreaking International Survivors’ Survey, containing first-of-its-kind data along with recommendations to address the horrific crime of child sexual abuse material.
The survey was developed to better understand the unique challenges faced by survivors whose abuse as a child was recorded and, in many instances, distributed online. By July 27, 2017, the cut-off date for inclusion in the final results, 150 survivors from around the world had contributed valuable information about their experiences. While the final results have been published, the survey remains open for individuals who still wish to participate.
Survivors Mobilize for Change
In February 2018, the Canadian Centre hosted a historic gathering of 10 survivors who are part of the first generation of child sex abuse survivors whose victimization was recorded and shared online. Together the group, who dubbed themselves “The Phoenix Ten”, shared their experiences with the 10 professionals in attendance in order to begin addressing the inadequate responses to and resources for survivors of child sexual abuse material, as well as bring the collective voice of survivors to an international stage.
The Naked Mole Rat Breaks the Internet
In May 2017, the Canadian Centre launched a new campaign to prevent the sextortion of teenage boys using humour to cut through the clutter and deal with this evolving issue. The Don’t Get Sextorted, Send a Naked Mole Rat campaign urged teens to send gifs and memes of this hairless wonder of nature instead of nudes.
This message, combined with the unique medium, generated interest from across the world. About 1,000 news articles in over 80 countries picked up the story, including The New Yorker which generated mentions in Mashable, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, and more.
The Canadian Centre Connects on a Global Scale
Throughout 2017–18, Canadian Centre Executives and Directors travelled the globe, meeting with other organizations, governments, and private companies who share our fervor for change. All these collaborations proved extremely fruitful in both awareness and support, particularly around Project Arachnid, and included the launch of a global initiative, with ECPAT Sweden being the first European hotline to sign on to work directly with the Canadian Centre in the removal of child sexual abuse material online.
Commit to Kids Coach Training for the Win
In November 2017, the Canadian Centre and the Coaching Association of Canada teamed up to launch the Commit to Kids for Coaches eLearning module, which focuses on keeping athletes safe in sport. Since then, the CAC has agreed to provide funding in order to make the training available for over 1,700 sport professionals across Canada.
- 139,897 Cybertip.ca reports processed (248% increase from 2016–17)
- 430,000 notices issued to providers to remove child sexual abuse material
- 354,316 pieces of Canadian Centre resources sent to law enforcement
- 5,800+ inquiries from families, children, community members and law enforcement to the Child Safety and Family Advocacy Division since its inception in 2011
- 45 MissingKidsALERTs sent out
- 5,588 users logged on for the Commit to Kids: Helping Organizations Prevent Child Sexual Abuse online training
- 3,100+ students and youth, along with 800+ families/parents reached through in-person training and events addressing personal safety and online risks
- 33 tours given of the Canadian Centre
- 1,699 quotes or references to the Canadian Centre in media articles
- 193 media requests in 2017–18
- 500,000+ naked mole rat gifs and memes shared worldwide
Social Value Reports