April 3, 2025: Safe Online is proud to announce the launch of the Second Edition of the Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, a comprehensive resource aimed at improving the accuracy, sensitivity, and consistency of language used in the fight against child sexual exploitation and abuse. The updated guidelines will officially launch at a global webinar on April 10, 2025, at 13:00 GMT.
Safe Online proudly participated in the development of the new guidelines, alongside ECPAT, Childlight|Global Child Safety Institute, the WeProtect Global Alliance and a diverse group of global organisations and entities representing different sectors. The updated edition reflects the latest insights and best practices in child protection, offering refined definitions and language to improve how professionals, policymakers, and the media refer to cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse and contribute to ensuring no child is hurt by the words of the professionals they meet.
Key Updates in the Second Edition
The Second Edition includes updated definitions and guidance on key terms related to child sexual exploitation and abuse, including:
The guidelines also provide greater attention to intersectionality, gender identity, and LGBTQI+ considerations, ensuring that language reflects the diverse realities of child survivors and those at increased risk of sexual exploitation.
A Collaborative Global Effort
The updated guidelines were developed through an extensive collaborative process involving over 40 global organisations, including survivor advocates, legal experts, and child protection professionals. The Interagency Working Group combined diverse expertise and perspectives to create a globally relevant and adaptable resource that reflects the evolving nature of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Our grantees The Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution Safe Online Environmnets for Children Countries involved:Palestine With support from the Fund, the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution is raising awareness about online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Palestine. By holding workshops for children, parents, school counselors, teachers, law
Our grantees INTERPOL (Disrupting Harm) Evidence From 14 Countries on the Context, Threats, and Children’s Perspectives of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Countries involved:France Disrupting Harm is a large-scale data collection and research project to better understand online child sexual exploitation and abuse across the world. This study is
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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