Global study reveals alarming scale of online child sexual abuse crisis

A groundbreaking report released by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute at the University of Edinburgh has shed light on the staggering prevalence of online sexual abuse and exploitation targeting children worldwide.

According to the study, over 300 million children fall victim to these heinous crimes annually, with South Asia emerging as a hotspot for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) alerts.

The report underscores the pervasive nature of the crisis, emphasizing that children from every corner of the globe, including “every classroom, in every school, in every country,” are susceptible to its devastating effects.

Key findings from the report reveal that 12.6% of the world’s children, roughly 302 million, have been subjected to non-consensual sharing and exposure to sexual images and videos over the past year. Additionally, 12.5% of children globally have experienced online solicitation, ranging from unwanted sexual talk to sextortion, often facilitated by the misuse of AI deepfake technology.

The prevalence of CSAM alerts varies across regions, with South Asia accounting for a third of all reported cases, followed by East Asia and the Pacific. Alarmingly, despite comprising only 54% of the world’s population, these regions bear a disproportionate burden of online child sexual exploitation.

While North America and Western Europe rank high in CSAM rates per capita, the Middle East and North Africa region leads in terms of alerts received per head of population.

Urgent calls for action have been voiced by survivors and advocates alike. They demand stronger regulation of social media platforms, particularly in light of challenges posed by end-to-end encryption, which hampers the detection of offenders.

Interpol’s executive director, Stephen Kavanagh, warns that traditional law enforcement methods are struggling to keep pace with the evolving threat, emphasizing the need for enhanced global cooperation.

Survivors like Frida and Grace Tame emphasize the urgent need for ambitious regulatory measures to hold tech platforms accountable and mitigate the escalating crisis.

The report, which draws on a comprehensive analysis of 125 studies and over 36 million reports to major watchdog and policing organizations, highlights the urgent need for concerted global efforts to combat online child sexual abuse and exploitation.