Canada: $800,000 to Protect Indigenous Youth from Online Sexual Predators

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced in Ottawa $800,000 in funding over five years for the National Association of Friendship Centres. The funding will support BEACON, an Indigenous-designed and Indigenous-led project to educate young people about online sexual exploitation and help them access support. Friendship centres will hold activities involving youth, parents, Elders and local partners, and gather data to inform tailored prevention policies. A 2019 national survey found that about four in ten Indigenous people in Canada had experienced physical or sexual violence by an adult before age 15.