10 Peel residents — six from Brampton and four from Mississauga — are among 122 people charged following a province-wide investigation into child sexual abuse.

Some of the child sexual abuse victims are as young as three years old, unable to “utter” a word to file a report, said Insp. Tina Chalk of the OPP counter exploitation section during a media conference in Vaughan Dec. 5.

"The investigators of the Provincial Strategy and our partners work tirelessly in one of the most difficult jobs in policing to bring those who would harm our children to justice,” she said. “We know from experience that working together will allow us to most effectively combat the internet sexual exploitation of children."

A total of 551 charges were laid as the OPP worked with 26 police agencies to execute a number of search warrants over the month of November.

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In addition, 55 victims were identified during the investigations and referred to appropriate community-based resources for assistance. Police also seized 17 guns, three of which were loaded.

This investigation was the latest in the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet, made up more than two dozen police forces that, since its inception in 2006, completed 50,403 investigations and laid 20,901 charges against 5,686 people, police said.

During that period, 2,009 child victims have been identified in Ontario and beyond.

"It is our fundamental and moral responsibility to ensure every child grows up safe. On behalf of the OPP, I want to make this message very clear: We will not stand for anyone hurting our kids. We will do everything we can to reduce the threat child predators pose to our children,” said Deputy OPP Commissioner Rick Barnum of the OPP Investigation and Support Bureau.

Police called the massive sting the “tip of the iceberg” in relation to online child sexual exploitation in Ontario.

John Abbott, 68, of Brampton, is charged with possession of child pornography, making available child pornography and accessing child pornography.