We all know that this year has been like no other. Everyone has been asked to step up in different ways. So, as we end this difficult year, we want to focus on the amazing things which have been achieved.

We want to begin by thanking the 200+ analysts in the INHOPE network who continued identifying and removing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online despite severely limited access to offices and social support networks. We want to celebrate the fantastic work of INHOPE’s Member Hotlines, partners, and donors, as well as child protection organisations, Law Enforcement Agencies and everyone else who haven’t stopped working towards our shared goal of an internet free of CSAM.

To end 2020 on a high note, let’s look back at a small number of the many powerful campaigns in online child protection we’ve seen this year.

Which did you see?

• Stop Child Abuse – Trace an Object the crowdsourcing campaign by Europol asks the public to help identify objects seen in videos of abuse to help identify victims and catch perpetrators. This also received support from Bellingcat who donated 2500 hours of volunteering houses, surveying the equivalent of 70,000 square kilometers on Google Earth. As of 23 January 2020, Europol had received more than 24,000 tips which have led to the identification of ten victims and the prosecution of two offenders. 

• #LoReportoPeroNoLoComparto (IReportbutIdon'tShare) by Te Protejo in Colombia encouraged people to report content, but not to share, retweet, take screenshots or send CSAM to others as a way of "fighting" CSAM. Influencers and famous people in Colombia were asked to demonstrate this message by sharing a website which appeared to have CSAM on it, creating a wave of viral messages in Twitter and in Instagram, but which actually contained an educational video about what their actions in social media meant for real victims.

• You can help us erase the worst by Barnaheill – Save the Children Iceland. A campaign aimed at reaching children from 13 years of age, parents and people working for and with children to contact them if they experience or come across violence against children online. The campaign received great attention through media on SID, which involved an article published on a popular news page, interviews in two radio shows plus a news coverage in the national radio station Rúv.

• #ItCanWeCan was launched in November as part of Child Safety Week in India: a week of awareness raising activities where the theme was breaking the taboo around conversations on Child Sexual Abuse. Organisations from across the world and a total of 142 NGOs, Corporates, Individuals, Schools, Institutions and communities joined in as movement builders. 

• Something’s Not Right, a collaborative month-long campaign from the UK Home Office and child protection charities to protect victims of child abuse. The campaign encourages victims of abuse to recognize different forms of abuse, report it, and get help.

• And finally, INHOPE’s #reportit campaign, designed to raise awareness about the INHOPE network and urge people to report any CSAM they come across to their country's hotline. The campaign garnered over 22 thousand engagements likes, shares and comments, nearly 150 thousand video views, and reached over 3.8 million people.