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.
Over 50 experts joined together for an urgent mission to ensure child safety in the digital world. The event, ‘Safe Connections’ was hosted by Safe Online with support from Giga
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
Our grantees UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti (Disrupting Harm) Evidence From 14 Countries on the Context, Threats, and Children’s Perspectives of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Countries involved:Italy Disrupting Harm is a large-scale data collection and research project to better understand online child sexual exploitation and abuse across
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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.