Second annual symposium: Combating Child Sex Trafficking and Online Child Sexual Exploitation
This year’s symposium brought together researchers, service providers, law enforcement, policymakers, survivor leaders, advocates, and community leaders to discuss the path forward in combating child sex trafficking and online exploitation.
In June, TMU’s Faculty of Community Services (FCS) hosted the second annual symposium on Combating Child Sex Trafficking and Online Child Sexual Exploitation (CST & OCSE). This year's theme was on Disrupting the Status Quo. It’s part of a multi-prong strategy at TMU to specifically tackle this growing global public health crisis and crime against children.
Efforts are happening in many fields, yet the problem is worsening. Offenders are using technologies like artificial intelligence to find new ways to sexually exploit children online — faster than any single sector can keep ahead of.
“Online child sexual exploitation and child trafficking are public health emergencies that demand holistic response strategies,“ said Dr. Roberta Sinclair, manager of Strategic and Operational Services, Sensitive and Specialized Investigative Services, at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). “TMU’s symposium and future initiatives allow people across many sectors to work together and drive victim and survivor informed changes.”
“Until now, no one really knew the best approach for these rapidly evolving issues. TMU is showing tremendous leadership in this space, building an interdisciplinary model of education and research that’s not only timely but transformative.”
New initiatives, TMU positioned to lead
Following last year’s symposium, the Faculty of Community Services (FCS) has developed three allied initiatives. Each extends from Associate Dean, Dr. Jennifer Martin’s ground-breaking research and findings that identified the critical need for a non-siloed cross-sectoral approach to the complexities of these crimes against children.
A four-month Executive Program in Combating Child Sex Trafficking and Online Child Sexual Exploitation piloted in January 2025. It equips leaders to expand their organizational capacity to interface with the problem and help survivors holistically. The focus: proactive, preventative strategy instead of reactive, in-the-moment tactics. A second cohort begins Fall 2025.
A new Master of Health Sciences (MHSc) in Combating Child Sex Trafficking and Online Child Sexual Exploitation will launch in September 2026. The graduate program is the only one of its kind in Canada and internationally and fills a gap repeatedly flagged by symposium participants: lack of training, data, and standardized methodology to enable effective, coordinated efforts.
“Human resources in this field are scarce,” said FCS Dean, Dr. Kiaras Gharabaghi. “Ours will be the first MHSc program in Canada to train people to navigate interdisciplinary research that’s ethical, sound and inclusive of survivor voices and lived experiences.”
The faculty is also developing a Centre for Combating Child Sex Trafficking and Online Child Sexual Exploitation. Planning to launch in October 2025, the Centre forms national infrastructure where expertise from all related fields can converge — with knowledge, data, and research sharing expected to concretely impact policy and practice.
“The issues are urgent, upsetting, and demand attention. Our children are not for sale. We must refuse to look away. We can and must do better, and the Faculty of Community Services is championing this work.”
Attending organizations
Ministry of the Attorney General | Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) | Toronto Police Services | Peel Regional Police | Victim Services of Toronto | The Centre for Mental Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) | Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre | SickKids | Ontario Public Service | BridgeNorth | Magnet Forensics | Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies | community organizations | survivor leaders | and more
TMU's Executive Program in Combating Child Sex Trafficking & Online Child Sexual Exploitation runs again in September 2025. Learn more about the program.