Key points

• Established a comprehensive programme to prevent and respond to online dangers affecting young people in Latin America 
• The Safer Internet Center – Viguías created a comprehensive ecosystem involving government institutions, law enforcement agencies, civil society, parents, educators and aggressors.  
• Worked with international partners to draw on best practice globally. 
• Successfully introduced a hotline for processing and reporting cases of CSAM and cyberbullying; an Awareness and Research Centre to create content and support advocacy; participation of young people in efforts to strengthen the protective digital ecosystem and a helpline targeting potential aggressors, 
• In 2023, “Te Protejo” was the top reporter of CSAM in Latin America to INHOPE and sixth globally.   

The problem

The “Safer Internet Center – Viguías” project was developed to address the growing need to protect children and adolescents in Colombia from online sexual abuse and exploitation. More than 92% of reports in 2020 were related to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and cyberbullying. These alarming statistics highlighted significant gaps in the country’s ability to handle these issues. The lack of a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach to online safety, coupled with the increasing complexity of digital threats, underscored the urgency of establishing a comprehensive programme to prevent and respond to online dangers affecting young people. 

The solution

The Safer Internet Center – Viguías was developed by Red PaPaz to enhance national capacities for preventing and addressing child abuse and exploitation in digital environments. The project aimed to create a comprehensive ecosystem involving government institutions, law enforcement agencies, civil society, parents, educators, and even potential aggressors. The initiative includes four key components: 

1. a hotline, which helps reduce the workload of law enforcement by processing and reporting cases of CSAM and cyberbullying.  

2. an Awareness and Research Centre, focusing on creating content and generating evidence-based advocacy actions.  

3. youth initiatives, which involve young people directly in efforts to strengthen the protective digital ecosystem.  

4. a helpline directed at potential aggressors, based on international models to prevent harmful behaviour. 

The initiative partnered with national organisations, including the National Institute of Family Welfare, Aulas en Paz and the National Police and others, as well as international partners Safe Online, INHOPE, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Swansea University and Protect Children from Finland.  

Together, they worked to integrate innovative approaches to tailor global best practices to the Colombian context. 

The impact 

The Safer Internet Center – Viguías has achieved significant impact since its inception.  

By July 2024, the “Te Protejo” hotline had processed over 218,000 reports, with more than 80% related to online exploitation and abuse. The hotline also processed over 175,000 URLs of public websites sharing CSAM, significantly contributing to global efforts through the INHOPE platform. In 2023, “Te Protejo” was the top reporter within INHOPE of CSAM in Latin America and sixth globally.  

The initiative has also expanded to reach 276 municipalities across Colombia, demonstrating its broad national reach.  

“Te Guío,” another component, provided guidance on harmful sexual behaviours to 60 users, showcasing the project’s commitment to addressing online safety comprehensively.  

The Awareness and Research Centre has filled critical information gaps, supporting innovative technological tools for online safety and collaborating on key research projects, conducting over seven research studies and projects that have improved public awareness and guided interventions aimed at protecting children online.  

These research efforts have focused on understanding the digital habits of children and adolescents, assessing the effectiveness of online safety campaigns, and identifying emerging threats in the digital landscape in Colombia and Latin America context.  

The youth initiative “Tú Lideras” has empowered 51  initiatives by young people to advocate for their rights, further solidifying the project’s impact. 

Beyond its direct impact in Colombia, Viguías has inspired and supported the creation of similar initiatives across Latin America, including  Mexico, Argentina, and Bolivia.  

By setting a regional example, Viguías has facilitated the establishment of reporting hotlines and Safer Internet Centers, fostering greater collaboration between civil society and authorities throughout the region.  

The success of Viguías has made it a reference point in Latin America, promoting the development of comprehensive strategies for online child protection. 

Lessons learned 

Several key lessons have emerged from the Safer Internet Center – Viguías initiative.  

Firstly, multi-sector collaboration with international partners and local stakeholders was essential for adapting global best practices to the Colombian context.  

Working with government institutions, civil society organizations, the private sector and young people has been key to creating a more robust protective ecosystem.  

Additionally, the need for continuous innovation and adaptation in response to the evolving digital landscape was clear.  

One area for improvement would be increasing efforts to integrate more comprehensive pedagogical components, particularly for families, educators and caregivers, to strengthen preventive measures at the community level. 

Key points

• Educational outreach: We deliver workshops, presentations, and resources in schools and communities to teach children, parents, carers, and educators about online safety, including how to recognise and avoid online grooming and exploitation.
• Recognising signs of grooming: The foundation provides tools and training to help young people and adults identify the warning signs of online grooming, empowering them to take action before harm occurs.
• Awareness campaigns: We run nationwide campaigns to raise awareness about the risks associated with the digital world, aiming to empower young people to make safer choices online.
• Policy advocacy: The Breck Foundation actively works to influence policy and advocate for stronger protections and safety measures in the digital space to ensure a safer online environment for all children.

The problem

Breck Bednar, age 14, was groomed by an online predator for 12 months. Despite Breck’s family raising concerns to various authorities, including police, no one took it seriously and in February 2014 he was brutally murdered by the 18-year-old online predator.

As a result, Breck’s family set up the Breck Foundation up to address the growing threat of online grooming and exploitation faced by children and young people in an increasingly digital world.

As internet use became more prevalent, particularly among the younger population, so did the risks associated with it, including online predators targeting vulnerable children. The existing awareness and educational resources were insufficient to equip children, parents, and educators with the knowledge needed to recognise and prevent these dangers. There was a clear need for targeted, impactful educational programs and awareness campaigns that could bridge this gap, empower young people to navigate the digital world safely and protect them from potential harm.

The Breck Foundation was founded to fill this critical need, offering specialised resources and advocacy to ensure a safer online environment for all children.

The solution

The Breck Foundation’s primary goal is to prevent similar tragedies by raising awareness about the dangers of online grooming and exploitation. Our target audience includes children, young people, parents, educators, and communities across the nation.

To achieve our goals, we conduct school visits nationwide, delivering powerful presentations that tell Breck’s story and highlight the real dangers of online interactions. Through these sessions, we equip students with the tools and knowledge to recognise and avoid potential threats. We also provide parents and educators with resources to help them support and protect young people in the digital age.

We collaborate with various stakeholders, including schools, law enforcement, and other child protection organisations, to amplify our message and ensure a comprehensive approach to online safety.

One of our unique approaches is the personal and impactful storytelling of Breck’s experience, which resonates deeply with audiences and underscores the urgency of the issue. Our method is not just about education; it’s about creating a lasting emotional connection that inspires proactive safety measures in the digital world.

The impact 

The Breck Foundation has made significant strides in raising awareness about online safety, reaching thousands of students, parents, and educators across the UK. Since our inception, we have delivered educational workshops and presentations to over 200,000 students in more than 500 schools nationwide. These sessions have led to a measurable increase in awareness, with post-presentation surveys showing that 90% of students felt more informed about the dangers of online grooming.

Our campaigns have also achieved substantial digital reach. For instance, our social media awareness initiatives have reached people worldwide, spreading crucial information about online safety to a broader audience. Additionally, our collaboration with law enforcement and other child protection agencies has led to the development of more effective online safety protocols, which have been adopted by several schools and institutions.

Lessons learned 

One key lesson learned is the power of storytelling in driving home the importance of online safety. Sharing Breck’s story has proven to be an incredibly effective way to engage audiences, making the risks of online grooming more tangible and relatable. This approach not only raises awareness but also fosters a strong emotional connection, prompting immediate action from both students and parents.  

What worked particularly well was our collaboration with schools and law enforcement, which helped extend our reach and impact. However, we recognise the need for ongoing follow-up and support after our presentations to ensure that the lessons learned are retained and acted upon. /cont

The internet can be a powerful tool offering a platform for connection, exploration and creativity, yet it also harbours significant risks, particularly regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse online. In Tanzania, a significant proportion of children aged 12-17 use the internet, exposing them to potential online dangers. This case study highlights the comprehensive and multi-faceted approach adopted by C-Sema, a child rights institution, to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in Tanzania.

Context and statistics

In Tanzania, approximately 67% of children aged 12-17 are internet users. Alarmingly, in just one year, an estimated 200,000 children in this age group experienced child sexual exploitation and abuse online according to the Disrupting Harm 2022 report. Additionally, the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported receiving 20,625 CyberTips related to Tanzania between 2017 and 2019, predominantly from Facebook and concerning suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

C-Sema’s multi-faceted approach

C-Sema has developed a robust, multi-faceted strategy to address online child sexual abuse, focusing on prevention, intervention and awareness.

1. National Child Helpline (116)

C-Sema operates the National Child Helpline (116) in collaboration with the government to provide a direct reporting channel for issues affecting children’s wellbeing including online exploitation and abuse. Through extensive outreach across Tanzania, the helpline encourages children and community members to report instances of child sexual exploitation and abuse online. This immediate reporting system enables timely intervention and support for victims and survivors.

2. Removal of child sexual exploitation and abuse images online

In collaboration with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), C-Sema tackles the distribution of harmful images. The partnership provides a dedicated online portal where identified images are swiftly removed. This effort is crucial in preventing further victimisation and protecting children from exploitation.

3. Awareness campaigns

C-Sema’s awareness campaigns aim to educate children, parents, and the community about online safety. In October 2019, C-Sema partnered with #ElimikaWikiendi to raise awareness on various aspects of child sexual exploitation and abuse online. The campaign included daily posts on social media, emphasising the roles of parents, caregivers and internet service providers in safeguarding children. This initiative reached over 2.8 million people and generated 28.9 million impressions. In November 2019, C-Sema, in collaboration with Child Helpline International, hosted the Regional Consultation of Child Helplines in Africa and MENA regions. The event focused on preventing and responding to child sexual exploitation and abuse online, further engaging the public and reinforcing the need for a collective response.

4. School and community outreach

In 2020, with support from UNICEF, C-Sema focused on educating secondary school students and the wider community about safe internet practices. Over 6,000 children across 11 schools were reached through this initiative. The outreach revealed high awareness among students about various online platforms but highlighted a knowledge gap among teachers regarding newer platforms. This discrepancy underscores the need for increased awareness among educators and parents to better support children’s online safety.

5. Disrupting Harm Initiative

From 2019 to 2022, C-Sema was a key participant in the Disrupting Harm project, a research initiative providing insights into online child sexual exploitation across 13 countries. This project delivered crucial findings and recommendations to improve prevention and response systems for OCSEA, contributing valuable knowledge to enhance national and international strategies.

Currently, in advancing the disrupting harm advocacy efforts, C-Sema has designed an activity to implement one of the recommendations from the disrupting harm survey in phase four of the KUWAZA project which focuses on sexual violence against children specifically how to prevent and respond to them. To raise awareness of child sexual exploitation and abuse online, C-Sema developed a topic for the KUWAZA sexual violence against children prevention toolkit for training children aged 7 – 14, as well as parents, teachers, local government authority and religious leaders.

Impact

• Enhanced reporting and response: The National Child Helpline (116) and online image removal efforts have improved the response to child sexual exploitation and abuse online incidents, helping protect victims and prevent further abuse.
• Increased awareness: Awareness campaigns, trainings and school outreach programs have not only elevated public understanding of online safety issues but also that of individual children although ongoing efforts are needed to educate all stakeholders, including children, teachers and parents.
• Collaborative efforts: Partnerships with organizations like IWF and the Tanzania Telecommunication Regulatory Authority as well as participation in international research projects have strengthened C-Sema’s capacity to address child sexual exploitation and abuse online comprehensively.

Lessons learned include:

• Need for continuous education: There is a persistent need for up-to-date training and education for both children and adults about emerging online threats.
• Importance of multi-stakeholder engagement: Effective prevention and response require coordinated efforts across various sectors, including government, civil society and private organisations.

Conclusion

C-Sema’s approach to combating child sexual exploitation and abuse online in Tanzania illustrates the importance of a multi-faceted strategy in addressing complex issues of online child protection. By integrating reporting mechanisms, image removal, awareness campaigns, empowering children’s self-efficacy to understand and report OCSEA and collaborative research, C-Sema has made strides in safeguarding children from online exploitation and abuse.

Key points

The Africa Online Safety Platform (AOSP) is a free of charge, centralised online repository of information about online safety, consisting of:

• Online safety research: reports, journal articles, news articles and books 
• Education content: open-source online safety educational materials catering to teachers, parents and students of all ages
• Funding opportunities: access to available funding opportunities for research and innovation
• Getting help: Africa-focused, country-level legal frameworks; international agreements, and relevant law enforcement agencies and reporting avenues; and social media platform support information

The problem

Over 520 million people in Africa, or 40% of the population, now have internet access, significantly boosting socio-economic opportunities and potentially contributing $180 billion to the African economy by 2025.

However, this rapid growth also brings challenges, with particularly dire effects on the most vulnerable groups: women and children. These include privacy and security concerns, fake news, political manipulation, and cyber threats like child exploitation and financial scams.

Africa’s outdated ICT infrastructure significantly exacerbates these issues. In addition, policymakers have not prioritised cybersecurity, with only 15% of African countries having clear legal frameworks and enforcement for cybercrimes. Consequently, Africa is vulnerable to internet-related threats, with 80% of African nations ranking low on the Global Cybersecurity Index.

The solution

Supported by Google.org and developed by Impact Amplifier Foundation, the Africa Online Safety Platform empowers educators, parents, academics, policy makers, civil society and the private sector to navigate the complexities of online safety across the continent.

It aggregates African research, provides a library of educational content, funding opportunities for internet safety innovators, and ways to get help if an online harm has occurred.

Together with the Africa Online Safety Fund, the Africa Online Safety Platform has made progress by funding innovators, aggregating research, and providing educational resources.

Over the next two years, the strategy will focus on five areas:

1. Research: develop frameworks, commission studies, and leverage AI for analysis
2. Education: customise materials, develop new resources, and translate them into key languages
3. Legal: map systems, and assess effectiveness, trail new models for enhancement, and replicate successful models
4. Replication Intervention Models: identify and support best practices online safety solutions to replicate and scale
5. Audience Development: launch PR campaigns, enhance SEO, and collaborate with safety networks to grow the use and functionality of the AOSP

These efforts aim to create a sustainable solution to online safety issues in Africa.

The Impact Amplifier Foundation seeks partners and contributors to join in building a new online safety ecosystem in Africa. Please get in touch at moc.ytefasenilnoacirfaobfsctd@ofni. 

The impact

The Africa Online Safety Fund (AOSF) is an initiative of Impact Amplifier Foundation that aims to address the pressing and widespread issue of online safety in Africa. In phase one alone, the AOSF achieved the following:

Funding:

• 46 organisations funded
• Spread across 9 African countries
• Projects extended to 20 countries

Reach:

• 14 million Africans reached
• Thorough research on online hazards
• Access to educational program tools or platforms
• Direct virtual and in-person trainings
• Traditional and digital media campaigns

Training:

• 63,000 people trained
• 32,000 children (ages 6 to 18)
• 9,000 teachers
• 23,000 adults
• 5,000 trainers trained, who then trained other teachers, parents, and children
  

AOSP marks the launch of the first African Online Safety research database which aggregates all Africa-focused online safety research, and is constantly expanding to be the most comprehensive research database available.

Since launching in February 2024, the platform has maintained an average of 3.7K sessions, a 38.9% engagement rate, and accumulated 21.8K events, fuelled by diverse traffic sources including direct, referral, organic social, and email.

Since the launch of the Facebook campaign, the AOS platform reached 47.5k people across Africa.

AOSP is successfully:

• Funding over 46 African online safety organisations to directly address online safety issues across the continent.
• Educating AOS grantees, assisting in the capacity development of online safety innovators
• Providing best-practice educational content and training tools for teachers, parents, and individuals of all ages
• Developing a database of over 700 African online safety organisations
• Providing  support and guidance through the Getting Help website function for victims of online crimes across 54 African countries
• Bringing together experts to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse online

Lessons learned

Online safety in Africa requires an ecosystem approach.
Internet usage creates a broad spectrum of safety issues including gender based violence, bullying, extremist recruitment, fraud and more.   To successfully address these issues requires on-going research to understand the scope and scale of the challenges, a legal framework and enforcement system that works and large scale efforts to educate users on how to keep themselves safe.   To achieve this requires the public and private sector, and civil society to work collaboratively and to find new stakeholders to join these efforts.

The importance of ensuring that the platform was built on a scalable architecture to handle the increasing data being housed on the site.
Knowledge gaps are continuously being explored and new content (educational and research materials) is being added. It is vital to ensure that these updates are able to occur seamlessly.

Realising the importance of a user friendly filtering/search function.
As the database has over 280 research papers and over 240 educational materials, ensuring users can efficiently search for what they are looking for is essential. To this end, we have tagged all content (category/theme of online issue, geographical location etc) for optimal indexing and searching.

Feedback for continuous improvement
We have realised the need for focus groups and feedback sessions with individuals across the platform’s main audiences. These would take place after they have explored the platform.

For more information, please visit: https://www.africaonlinesafety.com/ or contact moc.ytefasenilnoacirfaobfsctd@ofni

The Scale of Harm study project was initiated in March 2021 by IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children. IJM recognized the urgent need to measure the national prevalence of a specific form of online child exploitation that, for years, devastated the lives of young Filipino children: namely, the trafficking of children to produce child sexual exploitation material, including via livestreaming. This is the in-person sexual abuse of children by adults in the Philippines while foreign sex offenders watch and direct the abuse online for a fee in video calls using popular video-chat apps (also called ‘live-distance child abuse’ or Livestreaming).

Background on livestreamed child sexual abuse and the need for Scale of Harm

Online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC), including financially motivated offending to produce and sell child sexual exploitation material, are global, borderless crimes. The production of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM)—in images and videos, and via live video or livestream—is a crime that plagues communities worldwide. In fact, cases of children being sexually abused to produce and sell newly produced CSEM are easy to find (2). Increasingly, global law enforcement and experts report the growing threat to children of being sexually abused in live video streamed to offenders globally (3). EUROPOL warned that “livestreaming of child sexual abuse increased and became even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.”(4). This echoes evidence from INTERPOL that livestreaming for payment is increasing as demand surged during the pandemic as an alternative to ‘in-person’ abuse (5).

In the Philippines and other countries, sex offenders communicate online with traffickers (often financially motivated family members or close relatives of the victims (6)), paying them to livestream new sexual abuse and exploitation of children directed by the remote offender in real-time. This is a form of child sex trafficking and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) production and dissemination. The Philippines is the global epicenter for this financially motivated CSEM production, especially via live video streams (7).

In 2023, the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline received over 36 million reports of child sexual exploitation containing 105 million images, videos, and other files relating to child sexual exploitation (8). Most of these illegal images and videos were found by technology designed to detect previously identified CSEM in the form of photos and videos, along with grooming or online enticement. Yet these tools fail to detect a significant form of CSEM—live video streams, which sometimes occur on encrypted platforms, and as such no viable public tech sector data existed (or exists today) on this type of online child sexual exploitation.

Identifying financially motivated CSEM production and sale, along with live video child sexual exploitation for sale, requires an advanced method to measure the scale of these crimes. Zero research and data on the scale or prevalence of financially motivated CSEM offending existed, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere. To evidence the scale and improve the global response to this crime, IJM launched the Scale of Harm project.

Scale of Harm leveraged multi-sector partnerships to develop a robust, mixed-methods prevalence research approach

In 2021, IJM and the University of Nottingham Rights Lab convened an External Advisory Council (EAC) of multi-sector experts, researchers, and field practitioners from organizations across the technology, financial, government, and non-government/child protection sectors (9). Throughout the Scale of Harm’s methodology development phase, the EAC members advised on the design and validity of a methodology estimating prevalence in the Philippines. Multi-sector input on the viability of a methodology was critical in considering the effectiveness of the research approach given the complexity of financially motivated CSEM production in the Philippines.

The EAC’s expertise was critical to producing a mixed-method research approach that combined national household surveys using the Network Scale-up Method (NSUM) with data science analysis of a range of secondary datasets. Methodology implementation began in May 2022 and ended in June 2023.

Scale of Harm results reveal massive exploitation of Filipino children and provide global recommendations

In September 2023, IJM and the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab released the Scale of Harm study report, estimating that nearly half a million Filipino children (1 in every 100) were sexually abused to create new CSEM, including livestreamed abuse, for sale to offenders around the world (10). These numbers represent the lives of Filipino children that are impacted by the horrors of this crime. In addition, the study estimated that nearly a quarter of a million adults in the Philippines were engaged in trafficking children for this purpose in 2022.

The study recommended a stronger, more effective, and scalable multi-sector response to protect these vulnerable children. The Scale of Harm study includes seven recommendations from its findings, informed by survivor leaders.

Scale of Harm centred on survivor engagement throughout the study and launches

Survivor engagement was a critical component to validating the findings and recommendations, but also to leading and designing foundational elements of the research project. Survivor consultants and leaders informed and co-designed the survey by drawing from their lived experience of exploitation and community knowledge in the Philippines. Survivor consultants also co-designed and facilitated focus group discussions with survivor leaders from the Philippine Survivor Network to better understand survivor perspectives and experiences. Survivor Leader Ruby* was one of the survivors who consulted with IJM and the Rights Lab on the Scale of Harm study. She noted in her WeProtect Global Alliance op-ed:

“As someone who experienced the harm of online sexual abuse, I would say that no one can validate study results like Scale of Harm the way survivors can. My advocacy work is equally important as my other jobs. I was there, experienced and witnessed the horrors of online sexual abuse. Because of that, I am fully committed to protecting children from this crime. I cannot imagine other children going through similar, and maybe even worse, trauma.” (11).

*Pseudonym

For me this study is important because our voices will be heard, and this form of online sexual exploitation will be known to other people for them to have awareness that the experience of survivors isn’t easy.

Joy (pseudonym). A survivor leader from the Philippine Survivor Network.

[…] I know we were not the only ones who were victimized by OSEC*. Some victims are just quiet because they do not know yet what to do. Therefore, I think this research can be helpful in opening their minds.

*OSEC is online sexual exploitation of children

Chaya (pseudonym). A survivor leader from the Philippine Survivor Network.

Scale of Harm continues with launches, collaboration and in demand-side countries

Scale of Harm’s impact continues to reverberate around the world as we present it within key demand-side countries to spearhead action on the study’s recommendations. In March 2024, IJM’s Center to End OSEC joined IJM UK in London to host a parliamentary roundtable with MP Sarah Champion. The discussion centered around facilitating a stronger response to livestreamed child sexual abuse committed by UK-based demand-side offenders. Panelists included the National Crime Agency, Internet Watch Foundation, SafeToNet, the University of Nottingham Rights Lab, IJM, and Cassie* a survivor leader from the Philippine Survivor Network.

*Pseudonym

In April 2024, Scale of Harm launched in Canada through a parliamentary briefing and Press Conference.  The Center to End OSEC, IJM Canada, along with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, called on the Government of Canada, civil society, and non-government organizations to spearhead new efforts to prevent Canadian-based demand-side offenders from committing these crimes.  

• Watch the press conference here.
• Read IJM’s full statement here.

Read an IJM Opinion piece, “Internet freedom can co-exist with child protection,” in The Hill Times here.

Media Coverage of Scale of Harm 

• “Thousands of children sexually abused to order on encrypted video calls with western customers,” The Telegraph 
• “The rise of live-streamed child abuse – and Britain’s role in it,” The Telegraph 
• “Laws to protect children online are coming. Smart companies won’t need them,” The Hill 
• “Internet freedom can co-exist with child protection,” The Hill Times  
• “The damning scale of harm,” Philstar Global 
• “IJM Testifies on Exploitation of Children Before House Judiciary Committee,” IJM Press Release 
• “Enhancing online safety: A call to action for business leaders to prevent child sexual abuse,” Fast Company  
• “International Justice Mission continues fight to combat online child exploitation,” The Manila Times 
• “GSN Founding Member Testifies Before U.S. Congress to Protect Children,” Global Survivor Network  

End Notes

• The phenomenon of sexting, sextortion and the production of ‘self-generated’ intimate or sexual images of children has been on the rise not only in the Philippines, but globally.
• Even with limited studies in the Philippines on how the production of ‘self-generated’ intimate or sexual images of children impact the safety of children and youth, there is a common consensus amongst members of the child protection community that the issues need to be addressed in a sensitive and nuanced manner, considering the complexities of the issue.
• Stairway Foundation has developed, through consultations with youth, an e-learning course called For Your Eyes Only about sexting, sextortion and the non-consensual sharing of ‘self-generated’ intimate images of children/youth using an animated film and interactive lessons.

The problem

As early as 2012, Stairway Foundation recognised the phenomenon of ‘self-generated’ intimate or sexual images of children, with seven percent of respondents in a national survey of children and youth indicating that they have practiced sexting. In recent years, the issue has become more complicated as the practice of sharing naked/intimate images by and amongst children via sexting, has become interlinked with the non-consensual sharing of the same images, often being shared uncontrollably, victimising children in the process. In the 2022 Disrupting Harm Study of ECPAT Philippines, 13 percent of the internet-using children aged 12–17 who took part in the survey stated that someone had shared sexual images of them without their permission.

The solution

Considering the need to provide crucial, age-appropriate information on the issue of sexting, sextortion and non-consensual sharing of intimate/sexual images of children, Stairway Foundation developed the e-learning course called For Your Eyes Only in 2023.

For Your Eyes Only uses an animated film, together with an interactive lesson, to provide information about the different terms describing sexual and intimate imagery, risks of sharing sexual and intimate images, consequences and legislation around sharing sexual and intimate images, ways of coping if under pressure to share images and how to get help.

The e-learning course was developed based on Stairway’s many years of working on child online protection in the Philippines, engaging directly with both duty bearers and children/youth themselves. Targeted consultations with youth were undertaken to ensure that For Your Eyes Only would present information in a sensitive manner, considering the nuances surrounding the issue. The course is free to access.

The impact

To document the impact of “For Your Eyes Only” as an educational tool, a follow up survey was done with the high school students who participated in testing  the course during the Safer Internet Day celebration in 2023. This follow-up survey aimed to gauge if, after a year of taking the “For your Eyes Only”, they can still remember the significant learnings they gained from the course. The survey also explored any perspectives and changes in behaviours developed by participants brought about by undergoing the For Your Eyes Only course.

Ninety-six percent of the respondents indicated that because of the course they had changed perspectives when it comes the practice of sharing sexual/intimate images of themselves, which includes perspectives on victimisation (that boys can also be victimised) and that saying no is important. Eighty-four percent of the respondents also indicated that they changed certain behaviours after undergoing the course, including being more aware of warning signs and red flags when interacting online. Overall, respondents from the follow up survey indicated positive changes in terms of protective behaviour.

Lessons learned

The findings from the follow up survey indicate that For Your Eyes Only can indeed influence children’s behaviour regarding the complicated issue of ‘self-generated’ intimate/sexual imagery. Despite the relatively high internet penetration rate in the Philippines, there is still the challenge of increasing accessibility to the course. Institutional arrangements need to be developed with various duty bearers to find ways of making the material accessible to the wider population of youth who are at risk of being victimised with the non-consensual sharing of such images. Another lesson gained from implementing e-learning was to explore adaptation for mobile devices, especially for offline usage, something Stairway is already starting work on.  

Case study

Key points

• Many adolescents in India, especially girls, are at risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse online and lack access to accurate and complete information on online safety and sexual and reproductive health.
• Innovative approaches leveraging digital platforms of engagement are needed to provide accurate information at scale in a safe, anonymous and non-judgmental environment in order to promote awareness of child sexual exploitation and abuse online among children and adolescents.
• The Population Foundation of India (PFI) developed an artificial intelligence (AI) driven chatbot, SnehAI, to provide information on sexual reproductive health and child sexual exploitation and abuse in an interactive and engaging manner, using stories, quizzes, videos, GIFs and illustrations.

The problem

Over 50% of the population in India have digital access, according to a 2022 report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR. Adolescents form a significant proportion of internet users in India, and are highly vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and abuse online due to limited or no access to accurate information^1-3.

Formative research conducted by PFI in 2023 found that despite acknowledgement of online risks by most adolescents (87%), awareness of laws against child sexual exploitation and abuse online was limited (39%). Fifteen percent of adolescents reported experiencing at least one incident related to this form of online abuse, with only 5% reporting to service providers and adopting appropriate management practices against this threat.

Research also shows young people learn more about sexual reproductive health from uninformed and unreliable sources, perpetuating myths and misconceptions^4-6. In the online space, adolescents’ vulnerabilities increase manifold due to this knowledge gap^5,7.

According to reports, Interpol reported 2.4 million cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse online in India from 2017 to 2020. There is an urgent need to bridge this information gap for children and adolescents in an accessible, user-friendly manner.

The solution

Realising the need to provide a safe space where adolescents can access comprehensive information on sexual reproductive health and online safety, PFI created an artificial intelligence (AI) driven chatbot “SnehAI”, embedded on Facebook Messenger.

Introduced in April 2019, SnehAI leveraged learnings from the organisation’s 360-degree, transmedia SBCC initiative, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon[1] (which translates as “I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything”). The avatar “Sneha” is modelled after the lead protagonist of the show, Dr Sneha, a well-informed and confident young individual who serves as an inspiration to young people.

SnehAI is a first-of-its-kind digital intervention in India that leverages AI technology to reach adolescents and young Indians, encouraging conversations about issues that are often considered taboo due to the stigma associated with them. The chatbot provides a secure, personalised, and non-judgmental space for young people to access verified information about issues related to their sexual reproductive health and safe online behaviour, empowering them to learn more about their safety and wellbeing.

In 2020, SnehAI evolved into a text-based chatbot (SnehAI 2.0) with enhanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities, with funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund.

In 2021, it expanded its content (SnehAI 3.0) to include safe online behaviours with funding support from the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children fund, a global coalition focused on ending all forms of violence against children. In 2022, SnehAI was one of the winners of Meta‘s WhatsApp Incubator Program, under which a WhatsApp bot was developed.

To enhance engagement,  SnehAI uses interactive content formats like quizzes, stories, and myth busters and rich media features such as videos, GIFs and illustrations.

The impact

Over the past three years, SnehAI has reached millions of adolescents, engaging them in conversations on sexual reproductive health and online safety. An external evaluation in 2023 revealed that SnehAI reached over 150 thousand unique users, with exponential year-on-year growth.

Further, the platform data suggests that nearly 200 thousand conversations occurred on SnehAI, resulting in the exchange of 1.3 million messages and totalling approximately 463,721 minutes, with an average duration of 2.34 minutes per user.

The end-line evaluation suggested that SnehAI users demonstrated a better understanding of the risks associated with internet and social media use for privacy and safety. SnehAI users (74%) showed better awareness of the laws and rules aimed at preventing child sexual exploitation and abuse in India compared to non-users (62%). Similarly, awareness of platforms and helplines for reporting child sexual exploitation and abuse online was higher among SnehAI users (62%) than among non-users (43%).

Among users, 80% mentioned interacting with the chatbot more than once, with stories being the most favoured content type, chosen by 76% of users. A majority of SnehAI users (88%) found it easy to use, and 87% of them found the information learned from SnehAI easy to apply in real-life situations. Users expressed a high average confidence level (80 out of 100) in practising safe online behaviour after engaging with the chatbot.

What themes and type of content is most popular among SnehAI users

Lessons learned

The reach and engagement of SnehAI as well as findings from the endline evaluations demonstrate the impact and potential of the chatbot in creating awareness and deepening the understanding among children and young people on sensitive issues like child sexual exploitation and abuse online, sexual reproductive health and overall health and wellbeing. It introduces information in a manner that is acceptable, accessible, and safe, while ensuring a safe, anonymous and a non-judgmental environment.

To remain relevant and ensure engagement among adolescents and children, it is essential to innovate and upgrade programmes and interventions. This approach has proven successful for SnehAI, which has evolved consistently, transitioning from a ‘click and button approach’ in SnehAI 1.0 (2019) to adopting a text-based chat using NLP technology in SnehAI 2.0 (2020).

Additionally, it has continuously modified the appearance of its avatar to make it more relevant and acceptable to the target audience, and expanded its themes and content, as seen in SnehAI 3.0 (2021) with the inclusion of online safety.

Exploring new digital platforms that are highly sought after by adolescents has been crucial for increasing reach and enhancing user engagement. For instance, in 2022, SnehAI was introduced on the WhatsApp platform, further broadening its accessibility and impact. To further expand the reach and capability, a voice functionality has been integrated into SnehAI chatbot. To popularise SnehAI among adolescents, various promotional activities, both on-ground and in online spaces, proved to be beneficial.

We believe that since SnehAI operates in a fast-changing environment, it’s essential for it to learn from the very environment in which it operates. Introducing contemporary topics, improving content flow and adapting to the trends of social media, such as introducing voice notes, as well as implementing targeted promotional activities both on-ground and online, to expand the reach of SnehAI.

In November 2020, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), through its Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates launched the joint endeavour known as AI for Safer Children.​​​​​​​

Background and rationale for the initiative

The AI for Safer Children initiative seeks to explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, how it can support law enforcement and related authorities with investigative capacities to prevent, investigate and facilitate the prosecution of a wide range of forms of sexual exploitation and abuse against children online. In addition to focusing on network-building, awareness-raising and advocacy, the initiative has developed an online platform, known as the AI for Safer Children Global Hub, which has been specifically designed to be a tool to support law enforcement better understand how they can integrate AI into their work.

Timeline and organisations involved

After an extensive consultative and interactive development process, the Global Hub was officially launched and opened to the law enforcement community in July 2022. As the initiative moves into its next phase of implementation starting from November 2022, it will focus on the further expansion of the Global Hub – both in terms of userbase and content.

In addition to UNICRI and the Ministry of Interior of the UAE, several other organisations are involved in the initiative, primarily through an Advisory Board, which is composed of global leaders in child protection, law enforcement and AI. The Advisory Board includes representatives from Aarambh India; the Bracket Foundation; the Canadian Center for Child Protection; World Childhood Foundation; ECPAT; the European Commission Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs; Europol; the Fund to End Violence Against Children; Griffeye; the Gucci Children’s Foundation; International Justice Mission; INTERPOL; the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; the Project VIC International; Red Papaz; SafeToNet; Thorn; UNICEF; University of Massachusetts Amherst; the Virtual Global Taskforce; and WeProtect Alliance.

The Global Hub in numbers

The Global Hub seeks to build law enforcement capacity and improve access to AI tools that can support them in combating child sexual abuse and exploitation online. As of November 2022, it features 63 different AI tools from 35 technology providers. Additionally, a Learning Centre is available with learning materials, videos and tutorials on how to use AI responsibly and an eight-stage workflow to implement AI in the context of fighting child sexual exploitation and abuse online. The Global Hub also serves as a worldwide platform connecting law enforcement across the globe to collaborate and share their experiences and expertise. As these crimes very often cross national borders and jurisdictions, building a responsive global community is key to fighting these crimes and helping victims. Currently, more than 120 law enforcement representatives from 51 UN countries have registered and joined the Global Hub. Expanding the userbase and roster of AI tools featured on the Hub is a key objective for the continuation of the initiative, as is the hosting of regular community meetings, trainings and technical workshops for both law enforcement users and technology providers so that the initiative can sustain an engaged community and provide valuable insights to those working to investigate such crimes against children.

Challenges and opportunities

A key challenge faced by the initiative is building a truly global and representative network, bringing law enforcement agencies from all over the globe into the Global Hub. Acknowledging the heavy workload, the limited human and financial resources and, in many cases, a lack of familiarity with AI that many law enforcement agencies face, doing so and bridging the digital divide remains a priority. Developing and using trusted channels of communication and relying on key local and regional partners are critical steps in this regard.

The initiative has, however, also presented the opportunity to work closely with those in the tech sector, providing AI technologies to law enforcement, and with law enforcement investigators themselves that have or will have their hands on the technology. These unique interactions have offered the initiative a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of both sides and opened up ways to further bring together these communities in the most effective way so as to vindicate children’s rights.

Impact of the project

While the true impact is challenging to measure at the early stages of any initiative, AI for Safer Children’s desired impact is to facilitate the fight against child sexual exploitation and abuse online and, ultimately, ensure respect for children’s rights. The initiative particularly focuses on bridging the digital divide by seeking to provide tools and training resources to all, regardless of budget and geography. The early impact can, however, be seen in the networks fostered on the Global Hub and in hackathons challenges hosted by the initiative. These hackathons have provided the valuable experience of the participants to produce resources that can support not only those in the field but also technology providers, by helping them improve their tools which will ultimately support law enforcement agents.

Join the Global Hub

If you are in law enforcement and would like to learn more about the AI tools and techniques available to fight child sexual exploitation and abuse online, join us and become part of the AI for Safer Children community. Complete the questionnaire below or scan the QR code to join the Global Hub.

Complete the questionnaire

#Iamsafeonline is UNICEF Albania’s flagship child protection programme. It intends to understand the investigation challenges of online crimes against children in Albania.

Despite receiving between 5,000-20,000 referrals from international partners every year indicating possible production, distribution and utilisation of child indecent images, Albanian law enforcement managed to investigate only 12 cases in 2016-2018 with only one case successfully detected.

As UNICEF opened the dialogue with the Albanian State Police it became clear that the focus of the officers involved in cyber-crimes was primarily on illegal financial transactions and gambling. Even when evidence from other countries of child sexual abuse and exploitation online was presented, the police’s initial perceptions were that in Albania this type of crime was purely anecdotal.

The solution agreed upon through wide consultation was to bring on board an expert who already spoke the technical language of law enforcement and cyber-crime, and who was able to share this knowledge with the UNICEF team. This meant that when UNICEF sat at the table together with the cybercrime police everyone could finally understand each other. This was fundamental to UNICEF becoming a trusted ally of law enforcement by creating space for a more open and trusted dialogue.

Timeline and organisations involved

With support from the End Violence Fund, over six months in 2019, UNICEF coordinated face-to-face meetings, workshops and open lectures with key stakeholders involved in the investigation of cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation online, including the Albanian State Police, Office of General Prosecutor, and representatives of the judiciary and representatives of internet and telecommunication industries. During 2020, the findings validated by the partners were used by UNICEF to engage in strategic discussions with the office of the Tirana General Prosecutor and the Cybercrime unit of the Albanian State Police on the practical ways of addressing the key identified barriers.

Outcomes to be achieved/ already achieved

With the authorisation of the Albanian Ministry of the Interior, data was collected on the systemic, procedural and human capacity gaps of the Albanian law enforcement system in investigating the online crimes committed against children (focusing on child sexual abuse). This in-depth assessment aimed to unearth the root causes hampering an effective response by Albanian law enforcement, prosecution and judiciary to child sexual abuse and exploitation online. Preliminary findings were shared and discussed during three tailored workshops organised in the last quarter of 2019. These workshops gathered the key stakeholders involved in the investigation of cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation online, including law enforcement agencies and representatives of internet and telecommunication industries and focused on the identification of end-users through the IP address and related bottlenecks, prioritisation of indecent images of children, and categorisation of indecent images of children.

For the first time, the magnitude of the problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation happening online and involving Albania is thoroughly documented. Bottlenecks and recommendations related to the investigative processes and the process of digital forensic examination have been clearly articulated.

Challenges and/or opportunities encountered in carrying out the work

The collected data is sensitive because it can potentially be misinterpreted or misused for political advantage. However, in partnership with the government, UNICEF has facilitated the sharing of this data and information to stimulate open dialogue and enable evidence-based action by relevant stakeholders to protect children.

(Anticipated) Impact of the project

The EU Strategy on the rights of the Child explicitly refers to protection from all forms of child sexual abuse online and urges states to uphold commitments towards the Lanzarote Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Similarly, the July 2020 Communication from the European Commission focuses on the EU’s strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse in both its online and offline forms.

In ongoing negotiations on EU integration, Albania now has an incredible opportunity to be ahead of the game by proactively putting in place measures to detect, investigate and prosecute child sexual abuse crimes. The project achievements, with support from the End Violence Fund, highlight the importance of evidence-based advocacy and programming to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse and the necessity of regional and international law enforcement collaboration. Strong collaboration with Europol and INTERPOL is key in continuing to strengthen Albania’s response to child sexual exploitation and abuse. 

Project Shadow is a public-private partnership to identify and report money laundering associated with proceeds from child exploitation online.

It is aimed at improving the collective understanding of child sexual exploitation online and strengthening the detection of the facilitation and the laundering of funds related to this illicit activity.

This project has been implemented in Canada.

Timeline and organisations involved

With the support of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Project Shadow was created by Scotiabank and co-led with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P).

Project Shadow officially launched on December 10, 2020, after FINTRAC published an Operational Alert, which assists applicable financial services businesses in better identifying and reporting to FINTRAC financial transactions related to the laundering of funds associated with child sexual exploitation online.

Outcomes to be achieved/ already achieved

• With the reporting that it has received since the creation of Project Shadow, FINTRAC has produced more than 30 financial intelligence disclosures in relation to child sexual exploitation online for police and law enforcement partners to investigate.

• Based on FINTRAC’s analysis, perpetrators and suspected perpetrators were nearly all males, mostly aged in their 40s and 50s, located in all Canadian provinces and territories, and employed in a wide range of occupations.

• The top 10 jurisdictions receiving money transfers linked to online child sexual exploitation were: Philippines, Thailand, Colombia, the United States, Ghana, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, Romania, Jamaica and Russia.

Challenges and/or opportunities encountered in carrying out the work

• Projects like this one and others are challenged by current Canadian legislation to share tactical information about suspected clients among regulated entities.

• Opportunities to enhance the impact of public-private partnerships and strategic intelligence through greater information-sharing include:

– increased number and quality of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs)

– improved law enforcement outcomes

• Through the ongoing work of Project Shadow, we can empower financial crime risk professionals to view child sexual abuse material through the lens on money laundering, in turn, enhancing financial investigations.

Impact of the project

• Disruption of buying & selling child sexual abuse material, its content creation and its storage

• Significant increases in STRs and law enforcement disclosures