Often when we see images online, we forget about the person behind the image. And that’s fine when it’s your friends’ Instagram story of them on holiday yet again. But when its someone being sexually exploited or abused, forgetting about the person behind the image is dangerous. 2.2 billion people globally under the age of 18, making them society’s biggest group, and the most vulnerable to online harm (UNICEF DATA 2019).

What is Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)?

That this can be an adult abusing a child and posting a photo/video online, that it could be from an adult grooming a child and obtaining photos and videos of the child or self-generated material.

Whether it’s one image or many more doesn’t matter, what does is that there is a victim. According to work by the World Health Organization (WHO), 200 million children are sexually abused every year (Lu, J., 2019). There are millions of images and videos of children are sexually abused every year around the world. INTERPOL’s Child Sexual Exploitation database holds more than 1.5 million images and videos, collectively recording the abuse of more than 19,400 victims worldwide (Interpol.int., 2019). These images don’t just represent one instance of abuse- each time an image or video is shared, the child depicted in the image or video is revictimised which creates a cycle of abuse.

Do you know that the epidemic of CSAM online is only getting worse?

We repeatedly read articles that discuss the dangers of social media, and while these platforms endeavor to block and report predators, it is simply to easy to set up a fake account. The fact is that the risks are real, with 89% of illegal content reported to INHOPE global network containing pre-pubescent (victims aged between 3-13) in 2018, this figure rose to 90% in 2019 (INHOPE, 2019). And, this group of vulnerable children are increasingly at risk with criminals creating more elaborate ways to misuse social networks we all use on a day to day basis to speak with family, friends and colleagues.

Don’t hesitate to report content online to your country’s hotline, speak up for the victim who cannot and break the cycle of abuse. To know what you should report visit your country’s reporting platform.

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