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.
Our grantees University of Bristol Ai-based Advances for Law Enforcement’s Response to Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Southeast Asia Countries involved:Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore Researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Lancaster will enhance iCOP, the research team’s artificial intelligence software. iCOP was created to flag new or previously
Our grantees Save the Children Hong Kong Protecting children from online grooming: Cross-cultural, qualitative and child-centred data to guide grooming prevention and response Countries involved:Hong Kong Grant timeline:March 2023 – September 2024 Grantee website:savethechildren.org.hk/en Funding amount:$198,600 Find other grantees
Our grantees Save the Children Sweden Combating Online Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents Countries involved:October 2017 – October 2019 In Peru, the Fund is supporting Save the Children Sweden’s programme to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse, which is operating on a number of different levels. The organisation
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All imagery is taken from the Safe Online and UNICEF image library
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.
In 2024, Safe Online invested nearly USD16M in over 50 innovative projects, tackled digital harms, and expanded research into Gen AI and child safety.