Online child sex abuse on rise

COVID-19 has contributed to a significant spike in child sexual exploitation and abuse online, according to a new report that shows child sexual exploitation and abuse online is increasing.

WeProtect Global Alliance, a movement of more than 200 governments, private sector companies and civil society organisations working together to transform the response to child sexual exploitation and abuse online, published its 2021 Global Threat Assessment this week.

The report revealed that the scale of child sexual exploitation and abuse online is increasing rapidly, with more 3 000 000 accounts registered across the 10 most harmful child sexual abuse sites on the dark web

“Over the past two years, the reporting of child sexual exploitation and abuse online has reached its highest levels, with the Covid-19 pandemic being a big contributory factor behind the spike in reported incidents,” the report said.

Executive director of WeProtect Global Alliance Iain Drennan said the internet had become central to children’s lives across the globe, more so as a result of the pandemic.

“Over the past two years, we have observed an increase in the scale and complexity of child sexual abuse online. This report should act as a wake-up call to us all. Together we must step up the global response and create a safer digital world for all children,” he said.

According to the report, online sexual harm remained a pervasive problem across the African continent, with 57% of respondents in southern Africa having experienced at least one incident of online sexual harm.

“While a strong law enforcement and judicial response is essential, a truly sustainable strategy must include active prevention of abuse. There is a need to ensure the creation of safe online environments where children can thrive,” the report said.

WeProtect Global Alliance said everyone with a role to protect children online needed to work together to drastically improve the response.

Also part of the report was a global study of childhood experiences of more than 5 000 young adults (aged 18 to 20) across 54 countries, completed by Economist Impact. The study revealed that more than one in three respondents had been asked to do something sexually explicit online during childhood.

The Economist Impact study also showed that girls and respondents who identified as transgender or non-binary, LGBTQIA+ and disabled were more likely to experience online sexual harm during childhood, and respondents who identified as racial or ethnic minorities were less likely to seek help.

Unicef director of the Child Protection Programme Team Cornelius Williams said: “No country is immune. Offenders have new ways to access and abuse children. It’s crucial that countries invest in systems and services for child protection to prevent abuse from occurring in the first place. This takes a co-ordinated effort within each country and across the globe.”