needhelpnow.ca - Resource for 13-17 year olds

Who is the target audience for the website?

needhelpnow.ca is geared towards 13- to 17-year-old youth in Canada. In addition to needhelpnow.ca, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection has created the Self/Peer Exploitation Resource Guide: School and Family Approaches to Intervention and Prevention. Created in consultation with educators, law enforcement officers, crown prosecutors, child development experts, and psychologists, this guide is designed to assist school personnel and families in responding to self/peer exploitation incidents. For more information, please visit the website.

needhelpnow.ca is designed to provide information to youth who have been impacted by a sexual picture/video being shared by peers. The goal of the site is to provide teens with practical steps they can take to regain control over the situation. This includes information about contacting websites/online services to request an image/video be removed, guidance on involving a safe adult, the importance of self-care and recognizing when things have gone too far. The site outlines what information should be included when contacting a website to request the removal of content, sample complaints and step-by-step information for contacting popular websites.

Youth need to be able to establish personal boundaries.  Having well-defined personal boundaries are what makes each person distinct in who they are and what they feel and think. It sends the message that you take responsibility for your life,  how you treat others, and lets others know how you expect to be treated. By establishing physical, emotional and mental standards for what you will and will not do, you are protecting yourself from being taken advantage of or mistreated by others.

needhelpnow.ca is an initiative of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc., a charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. Our goal is to reduce child victimization by providing programs and services to the Canadian public.

Submitted by Constable Sue Zuk-Boyer
School Resource Officer
PTSD