Police warn that child sexual abuse is on the rise – Peterborough | Globalnews.ca

Police are warning that cases of sexual abuse are on the rise across the province.

Peterborough Police has seen a particularly spurt in cases this year among young people – even children.

“Grade 6, Grade 7 and Grade 8 are the biggest trends we have seen growth in this year,” says Konst. Lauren Davis told Global News Peterborough.

Read more: Parents warn against targeting teens worldwide

“We, as Community Service Officers, provide programming about social media and online safety up to grade 6s. We talk specifically about sextortion. Based on the expressions and reactions we get, even in Class 6 classes, we know this is going on.”

Police say scammers will contact the victim through social media, online dating sites or even online games and, after asking for intimate pictures, threaten to share those images with family, friends or contacts, Unless the victim pays them the money.

1:54
Cases of child molesting and sexual abuse have been on the rise online since the start of the pandemic

“Never send your intimate photos online, even if you know them. Keep your passwords safe. NEVER send money to anyone online,” added Peterborough County OPP Const. Joe Ayotte.

“Anything you put in there can be used against you.”

“If this is something you’re posting and you don’t want a parent, grandparent or police officer to see, don’t post it at all,” Davis said.

Other tips for keeping yourself safe online include: covering web cameras when not in use, not storing sensitive images or information online or on your mobile device, using strong passwords and making sure social media The security settings for the accounts are activated and set to the highest privacy. Level.

Read more: The Latest Sextortion Tactics, How To Help Your Kids Prevent And Report It

cybertip.ca Canada’s tipline is to report sexual abuse and child abuse online.

It is registering an increase of 150 per cent in cases with an average of 57 cases this year alone. It said that 77 percent of the cases happened on Instagram or Snapchat.

Police say sexual abuse can happen to anyone of any age, but it’s important for parents to talk openly about it with their children.

“As a parent, go through your child’s privacy settings on all of your social media accounts. Make sure their location setting is turned off. We have seen many kids, who are using Snapchat, their location is set to ‘on’. You don’t want that. Only your parents should know where you are,” Davis said.

“Never add anyone you do not know personally to your social media accounts. We have seen a huge trend among youngsters who have thousands and thousands of contacts on social media and in reality they know only 50 to 80 of them.

“If you don’t know who they are, don’t add them.”

If a scammer contacts you, or if you have been fraudulent, you are asked to contact the police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-888-495-8501.