💲💲💲 Money
Money Report 2026
We are very keen on counting the money.
Well, let us count $11.5 trillion, based on approximately 8.5 million survivors in Canada.
The Lifetime Cost of Child Sexual Violence
The lifetime cost of child sexual violence is estimated at $1.47 million per survivor (Peterson et al., 2018).
But that number reflects average earnings. When we account for the wage gap, where women earn about 88 cents for every dollar men earn, the measured loss per female survivor drops to about $1.29 million (Statistics Canada, 2026).
That does not mean the harm is less. It means the economy values women’s work less.
Women also make up the majority of survivors.
So even though each woman is assigned a lower dollar value, they carry the greater total loss.
This is not just a social failure. It is an economic one. We are undercounting the true cost while absorbing it at scale.
If women’s losses were measured at equal value, the total economic cost would be even higher.
We are not just losing money. We are miscounting it.
The Human Cost
But what about the children? The statistics we are using to measure the impact of child sexual violence are over 40 years old (Badgley, 1984). Four decades. While we obsess over dollars, lives are being destroyed, futures stolen, and women are hit harder than men even for the same work.
This is not just a number. This is decades of ignored suffering, economic loss, and societal damage.
Look at the references. Face the truths we are still refusing to face.
The Original War
This is the original war. The war against children. Control the children and you control the parents. Control the parents and you control the community. Control the community and you control the world.
History is watching. This is your moment to act.
One Bold Step Towards a Solution
Prime Minister Mark Carney, order a new Royal Commission. You are the only person who can make this happen.
Consider the human cost. Consider the lives destroyed. Consider the $11.5 trillion lost and what could be reclaimed for Canada.
This is not a request. This is your chance to act. Will you say yes?
Preventing Child Sexual Violence
Prevention starts with education, justice, and a whole lot of love.
People need clear, honest education on what child sexual violence looks like and how to respond. That means knowing how to speak up and how to step in when something is wrong, whether the person disclosing is a child or an adult.
In Canada, every adult has a legal duty to report suspected child sexual violence. This responsibility does not belong only to teachers, doctors, or parents. It belongs to all of us. Knowing the signs and taking action is not optional. It is absolute.
We need a justice system that truly puts survivors first, not just in words, but in practice. Judges must be required to complete intensive, in-depth training on child sexual violence, not just attend a brief seminar.
Police must be properly trained to respond from the very first point of contact, before any specialized investigation unit arrives. Those first interactions matter. They can either support a survivor or cause further harm, especially for those coming forward years later.
All community service professionals should be required to complete ongoing, evidence-based training and pass annual competency testing to ensure they are staying current with research and best practices.
We need litigation lawyers who are specifically trained in child sexual violence. This work is about more than money. It must include care beyond the courtroom, including meaningful, long-term aftercare once lawsuits are settled.
Survivors need access to sustained, trauma-informed support. That includes therapy, safe housing, and financial stability. Recovery does not follow a timeline, especially for those who disclose in adulthood.
There must be real accountability when systems fail. Training alone is not enough. We need oversight, transparency, and independent review when survivors are not protected.
And we need a centralized, transparent database that captures accurate statistics at the national, provincial, territory, and municipal levels. We cannot address what we refuse to count.
This is how prevention becomes real.
We need more places like The Gatehouse, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who are focused exclusively on helping people survive the aftermath of child sexual violence. We need more Gatehouses.
Prevention is not a soft option. It is a moral and economic imperative. Every dollar spent preventing abuse saves lives, futures, and trillions in lost economic productivity.
The Economic Argument
Yes, I used ChatGPT for the math. Judges are using AI to write rulings now. If that makes you uncomfortable, good. You should be paying attention.
This is an estimate intended to illustrate scale, not a precise economic calculation.
Copyright © March 18, 2026 Ghrian Shine
Annotated Reference List
Badgley, P. (1984). Child Sexual Abuse: The Canadian Badgley Royal Commission, Report on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youths, pg. 175. https://www.anbu.ca/statistics-and-research/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Provides the foundational national survey on child sexual abuse in Canada. Reports that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys experience an unwanted sexual act. Commonly rounded to 1 in 4 girls in contemporary reporting. Establishes historical baseline for prevalence and informs policy and research.
Badgley, P. (1984). Child Sexual Abuse: The Canadian Badgley Royal Commission, Report on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youths, pg. 175.
Notes that 95% of child sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator, emphasizing that abuse is overwhelmingly committed by someone the child trusts. Essential for risk assessment and public awareness campaigns.
Badgley, P. (1984). Child Sexual Abuse: The Canadian Badgley Royal Commission, Report on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youths, pp. 215-218.
Provides data on differential risk, showing that women, girls, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals face significantly higher risks of child sexual violence. Forms the basis for intersectional policy and support services. *We need exact numbers, not just a footnote stating underserved cohorts are hit harder.
Peterson, C. et al. (2018). The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States, 2015. Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 86, December 2018, pp. 178–183. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213418303867?utm_source=chatgpt.com
This journal examines the significant social and economic impacts of child abuse. Separate 2015 estimates place the lifetime cost of child sexual violence at approximately $830,928 USD per survivor. When adjusted for inflation and converted to Canadian dollars, this equates to roughly $1.47 million per survivor today. Higher-end estimates capture the full long-term societal cost, including productivity loss, health care, and intergenerational impact. Costs that more conservative models often understate. *We need a Canadian report to draw from.
Statistics Canada. (2020). Childhood maltreatment in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2020001/article/00001-eng.htm
National survey reporting that approximately 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men report experiencing child sexual violence before age 15. Confirms ongoing prevalence and provides updated figures, representing roughly 8.5 million Canadians living with trauma from childhood sexual abuse.
Statistics Canada. (2026, March 5). The gender wage gap persists. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/9084-gender-wage-gap-persists
This Government of Canada report provides recent national data on the gender wage gap, showing that women earned approximately 88 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2025. It also highlights how the gap varies depending on measurement, with larger disparities reflected in annual earnings due to differences in hours worked, employment patterns, and caregiving responsibilities.
Copyright © March 18, 2026 Ghrian Shine