Introduction

Thank you for taking the time to consider completing this survey.

This survey is being carried out by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to the protection of all children. We are committed to understanding the experiences of those affected by child sexual abuse imagery offences, sharing what we learn and using what we learn to advocate for meaningful change. By better understanding your experience, we will be in a position to support the countless individuals who have been affected by this crime, including those who have not yet been identified.

As of March 2024, this survey has been answered by almost 300 survivors – we have published one report in 2017 and are in the process of producing a second report to be released in 2024. In the future, additional reports may be produced using responses from survivors responding to the survey after March 2024.

The survey questions are designed to gather information about your experience and are not intended to identify you directly. You will not be asked to provide your name or the name of anyone else. We appreciate the sensitivity of the information we are asking for and assure you that we are committed to protecting the privacy of all participants at all times. More information about our privacy commitment to you is included in the Informed Consent section below.

IMPORTANT: If you completed the longer version of the Survivors’ Survey prior to May 1, 2021, please do not complete this survey as the questions are the same, except that this version of the survey is shorter.

Your input is critically important to drive change on this issue. Having been affected by the creation and/or distribution of child sexual abuse imagery, you are uniquely able to provide valuable insight that no one else can provide and that we strongly believe is essential to increasing society's collective understanding of this issue. We strongly believe that the results from this groundbreaking survey will help ensure greater and more meaningful support is provided to victims worldwide.

We recognize that the nature of the questions may be difficult and could result in a range of emotions for you. We strongly encourage you to engage your support person(s) before you begin the survey and ensure that they will continue to be accessible to you for support.

Completing the Survey

The survey is designed to allow you to provide as much or as little detail about your experience as you wish. As such, the amount of time it takes to complete the survey will be dependent upon how much you wish to share. Briefly:

• The survey is separated into sections. At the start of each section, we have explained the nature of the questions and why we are seeking this specific information.
• You can skip any questions you do not wish to answer. You will also have the ability to skip individual sections if you do not feel comfortable responding.
• You can take a break anytime during the survey. Your responses are saved automatically as you respond and when you wish to take a break you will be issued a unique key that you can use to log back in later to finish the survey.
• You are welcome and encouraged to have a support person with you while you fill out the survey.

For each question, please respond with as much detail as you are comfortable with – taking care not to include identifying details such as names.

If you wish to speak to a representative from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, please email us at survivors@protectchildren.ca.

Informed Consent

We understand how critical it is that you be able to share information without sharing your identity. You will not be asked to provide your name or the name of anyone else. The survey questions are designed to gather information about your experience and are not intended to identify you directly.

We are committed to ensuring that the privacy and confidentiality of each participant is safeguarded and respected throughout the process. For more information about how our organization uses personal information generally, click here.

What you need to know about this survey:

• You are in control. You are always in control of what information you choose to share.
• No attempt at identification. The information you provide will not be used to identify - or attempt to identify - you or your child(ren), directly or indirectly.
• Purpose of collection. All information we are collecting is solely for the purpose of learning more about your experience as we believe that will assist us in advocating for change. At the start of each section of the survey, we have added a “purpose” statement that provides more detailed information about the types of questions that are in that section, why we are asking them, and what we intend to do with the information gathered. These statements are meant to help you understand why certain questions are being asked.
• Translation. Surveys completed in any language other than English will be securely provided to a trusted third party to translate with that party being contractually bound to use the responses only for the purpose of translation and for no other purpose.
• Access to data and safeguards. Raw survey data (the answers you provide to the survey in full with no edits) will be kept in strict confidence, accessible only to those individuals who are who are bound by contractual obligations of confidentiality and who are directly involved with analyzing the data, or who are involved in translation.
• Use and sharing of information. The information you provide will only be used for the purpose of writing and releasing a report on the aggregated survey results. What this means is that your information will be combined with information from other participants, and when the results of the survey are published or discussed, no information will be released that could identify you as a participant.
• Direct Quotes. Quotes from your survey answers may be reproduced in the final report or smaller reports, but only to the extent it is possible to do so and still preserve confidentiality. All quotes will be anonymized—this means quotes may be redacted or edited to remove potentially identifying information.

More on Safeguards: There are numerous other additional measures in place to safeguard survey information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure. For example, physical, administrative and technical security measures are used to protect the information you are submitting to us. Computer passwords, firewalls, encryption and other measures that protect data from unauthorized access, loss or modification are also in place. Additional safeguards and measures will be adopted as and when deemed necessary to safeguard the information provided and the participants.

By clicking “Start Survey” below, you are confirming that the following statements are true:

• I am over the age of 16 and my participation in this survey is voluntary.
• I have not received or been offered any payment for my participation and that I will not directly benefit from my participation.
• I understand that other than the questions that require me to confirm I am over the age of 16 and have experienced recorded child sexual abuse, I am free to choose which survey questions I answer.
• I understand that I may contact the Canadian Centre for Child Protection directly via email at survivors@protectchildren.ca to: discuss problems, concerns, and questions; obtain information; offer input; or discuss situations that occurred during my participation.
• I understand that I can withdraw my participation at any time prior to finalization of the survey results by contacting the Canadian Centre for Child Protection by email as set out above.

In addition, by clicking “Start Survey” below, you are also agreeing to the following:

• I consent to the collection and use of my information by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for the purpose of this survey.
• If my responses are provided in a language other than English, I consent to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection sharing those responses with a third party for the sole purpose of translation, provided such third party is one that is bound by strict contractual obligations of confidentiality.
• I agree that my individual responses may be quoted from in any report or other publication issued by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in relation to the survey, with such edits as needed to preserve my confidentiality.

By clicking "START SURVEY" below, I confirm the truth of the above statements, and agree that the Canadian Centre for Child Protection may collect, use and disclose the information I provide in the ways that are specified in the above statements.