New Global Study Highlights Alarming Rates of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
A recent study, led by Childlight - Global Child Safety Institute at the University of Edinburgh and co-authored by Dr Bridget Steele, Departmental Lecturer in Evidence-Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation at DSPI, as part of the Into the Light Index Study Group, sheds light on the widespread issue of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA). This pioneering research uncovers the "staggering scale" of the problem, revealing that one in twelve children globally has been subjected to online sexual exploitation or abuse within the past year.
The authors conducted a first of its kind, global scale meta-analysis looking in detail at 123 studies from 57 countries, and categorised exploitation and abuse into four categories: online solicitation, non-consensual taking, sharing, and exposure to sexual images and videos, online sexual exploitation, and sexual extortion. The results bring to the forefront the alarming prevalence of OCSEA and stresses the growing nature of this issue, with 8.1% of under 18s reporting one of these incidents in the past year and 16.6% reporting an experience like this overall.
Experts involved in the study are urging for comprehensive and immediate actions to combat this rising threat to children’s safety on the internet: future research on OCSEA should focus on improving measurement tools, establishing reporting standards, and ensuring consistency in definitions and data across regions. Policy efforts must strengthen legislation, enhance online safety, and promote education to prevent OCSEA. Clearer definitions of sexual offending behaviors are needed for better data quality and comparability. More research on the age and identity of perpetrators will help inform effective policies and practices.
The findings of the report are crucial for the development of effective prevention and response programs that can help mitigate the risks of online exploitation. Given the gravity of the situation, the article has garnered significant media attention including in The Telegraph, The Independent and CNN.
The full paper 'Prevalence estimates and nature of online child sexual exploitation and abuse: a systematic review and meta-analysis' is published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
