Gatineau police aim edgy sexting awareness campaign at teens

Gatineau police have launched an edgy new campaign aimed at teenagers to combat the spread of the phenomenon known as sexting.

The #GARDECAPOURTOIprogram branded#KEEPITPRIVATE in English is aimed at youth between the ages of 12 and 17, and is a partnership between the city's Crown Attorney's office, a local sexual assault support centreand area high schools. It's believed to be the first of its kind in Quebec, according to a Gatineau police spokesman.

Sextinginvolves sending or receiving sexually explicit photos through text messages or in chat applications. Doing so can open up teens to the possibility of criminalchargesfor child pornography offences, whether or not they had the consent of the other minors involved.

Cheeky illustrations

The rollout of the bilingual campaign comes as the police service says the phenomenon is on the rise.

Since 2014, more than 80 child pornography cases had asextingcomponent to them, the police service said in a media release issued Monday.

All high school students in Gatineau will participate in an hour-long workshop as early as next month.

Campaign posters will be placed on school walls featuring cheeky illustrations, such as apair of melons or a phallic banana next to the messages like "your melons" and"your banana."

"We use the words kids use," said Jean Paul Lemay, a Gatineau police spokesperson, in an interview.

IsabellePlante, a criminologist with theGatineauPolice Service, said in a media release issued Monday that sexting can be a serious source of distress for the teens involved.

"By garnering all of the available expertise, we developed a program that will catch the eye of youth and hold their attention, while at the same time meeting the expectations of high schools," she said.

Other elements of the campaign include:

• A video with information about resources for young people.
• A section of the Gatineau police websitededicated to sexting awareness.
• A kit for school staff.
• Aninteractive PDF for parents with tips on discussing sexting with their kids.