Press Release: Survivors of childhood sexual violence seek urgent action to ‘redesign’ the internet to protect children

Press Release

Survivors of childhood sexual violence seek urgent action to 'redesign' the internet to protect children

Survivors join bereaved parents and high-level political figures, to put pressure on political leaders, funders and tech companies to end childhood sexual abuse online.

The move comes 100 days before the historic inaugural Global Ministerial on Ending Violence Against Children - the first time that global leaders will be asked to pledge action to end the scourge of childhood sexual violence.

July 17, 2024 [LONDON]: Today, survivors of childhood sexual violence will address the escalating threat to children’s lives posed by online abuse, and call for action to ‘redesign’ the internet and protect children ahead of the first ever global Ministerial on the issue in November 2024. This is a pivotal moment to redefine the digital world for children, ensuring that technology is used for their benefit and never for their harm.

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12 new countries join flagship global initiative to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse

In today’s increasingly digital world, the internet has become an integral part of children and young people’s lives, providing enormous opportunities for communication, education and entertainment. At the same time, it can also present a serious threat to their safety and well-being. Unfortunately, there is very little solid evidence available on the scale of these risks, which groups of children are more likely to be harmed, and where or how this happens.

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INTERPOL (Global)

Our grantees INTERPOL (Global) The Devops Group Project Countries involved:France INTERPOL will bring the most advanced technology to investigators of online CSEA through its new DevOps Group Project. The initiative will facilitate research and development by an expert group of investigators, non-governmental organisations, academia, and information technology companies, and extend solutions

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Call to Action: A digital world safe for every child

Call to Action

A digital world safe for every child!

Sexual violence against children and adolescents is a pressing global issue. The consequences of child sexual exploitation and abuse are profound, leading to serious implications for children’s health, societal participation and economic prospects. The digital world has amplified children’s exposure to sexual exploitation
and abuse, exposing children to unprecedented risks.

As per the latest Childlight data, one case of online child abuse is reported every second. The Internet Watch Foundation noted 2023 as a ‘record year’ for child sexual abuse with an 8 per cent increase in the number of child sexual abuse imagery found online from the previous year. New and emerging technologies like Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (ER) are turbocharging the rate of abuse, generating child sexual abuse material at a scale and speed never seen before.  

Safe Online has joined hands with survivors and global child protection organisations to call upon key actors to prevent and end the sexual exploitation and abuse of children online and create a safer digital future for every child.

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UNICEF Namibia

Our grantees UNICEF Namibia Tackling Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Namibia Countries involved:Namibia In Namibia, the Fund helped UNICEF Namibia establish an online reporting portal, which now provides the public with a way to anonymously report cases of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. This project has also educated teachers,

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Narrative-driven case studies

Exciting Opportunity! Safe Online is looking for an agency to conduct in-depth, narrative-driven case studies in the Global South that highlight best practices, enablers, and lessons learned in achieving systemic responses to online CSEA! This work is part of Safe Online’s broader evidence and learning agenda, aimed at generating actionable,

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Zana Africa

Our grantees Zana Africa Understanding Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children With Intellectual Disabilities in Kenya Countries involved:Kenya Children and young people in general can be vulnerable online. But unfortunately, the risk can be more profound for those with an intellectual disability. While there are positive benefits of online

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Our purpose in detail

We are here to ensure every child and young person grows in to the digital world feeling safe, and is protected from harm.

We support, champion, and invest in innovative partners from the public, private, and third sectors working towards the same objective.

We believe in equipping guardians and young people with the skills to understand and see danger themselves once accessing digital experiences without supervision.

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