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The sexual exploitation (for example, child pornography, child prostitution, travelling child sex offenders, luring and/or abduction for sexual purposes ) of children and youth knows no borders – it affects all people (children, youth, women, and men) of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds and of all socio-economic statuses. The Internet has altered the way child sexual exploitation offences are committed, investigated, and prosecuted in Canada. The National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (NCECC) (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Police Services) was created in response to the growing and disturbing crime of Internet-facilitated child sexual exploitation. The Centre’s mandate is to reduce the vulnerability of children to Internet-facilitated sexual exploitation by identifying victimized children; investigating and assisting in the prosecution of sexual offenders; and, strengthening the capacity of municipal, territorial, provincial, federal, and international police agencies through training, research, and investigative support. Recent cases involving Canadians suspected of travelling to other countries and sexually abusing children indicate an emerging threat as well as illustrate the importance of global cooperation between police agencies.
Case Study: Christopher Paul Neil Public Assistance in Travelling Child Sex Offender Investigations In Canada, the medium through which such releases would occur is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Wanted Persons website. Decisions to post on this site will be made on a case by case basis with significant strategic guidance by the NCECC. Although posting images of ‘most wanted’ suspects is not new to policing, it is not yet common in cases involving Internet-facilitated child sexual exploitation. Steps will be taken to ensure that the privacy rights of individuals have been carefully considered. However, the potential threat posed by an offender to public safety and, more importantly, to the children to whom s/he has access often renders releasing suspect images justifiable and reasonable. Extra-Territorial Prosecutions: Impacts on the Canadian Police Community Extra-territorial legislation can be enacted to deal with situations where a foreign country does not have existing legislation to address activity that would be considered a serious offence in Canada (e.g., sexual abuse/exploitation of a child), in situations where countries cannot or will not prosecute an offender, or when an offender has returned to Canada. To date, prosecutions are handled by the last jurisdiction in Canada where the offender resided. Therefore, any Canadian police service may become involved in these cases. As well, family members, friends, potential witnesses, or other victims could be located in various police jurisdictions. To prosecute a suspect in Canada, the country that has custody of the offender must first consent to extradition. A provincial Attorney General must approve prosecution of the suspect and must consult with the Department of Justice’s International Assistance Group. Canadian police may be requested to participate in various aspects of an investigation. It is quite possible that a suspect may have committed crimes in Canada that have gone previously undetected. Therefore, it is imperative that any investigation into his/her illegal activities is thoroughly completed. There can be a wide range of challenges including obtaining evidence through foreign authorities, language barriers, locating and supporting victims and witnesses, and ensuring that offenders are not charged with the same offence in two countries. Canadian law enforcement agencies can contact the NCECC for assistance in these matters.
Prioritizing Travelling Child Sexual Offenders –The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT)
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