At the end of Safer Internet Month, ECPAT Austria is urgently warning about the dangers and effects of sexual abuse of children on the Internet
Vienna (OTS) – Several recent study results and figures emphasize the urgency of taking effective measures to protect children from online sexual abuse. Every year the renowned US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) a shockingly high number of global reports of depictions of sexual violence against children. In 2023 alone, 36.2 million reports were received with more than 105 million files. Also stop line, the Austrian reporting center for sexual abuse depictions of minors, recorded 6,649 accurate reports of sexual abuse in the first two months of this year. This represents more than half of the total reports in 2023 with 10,828 accurate reports.
NCMEC further confirms a drastic increase in reports of sextortion, which involves extortion with nude photos or recordings of sexual acts. Likewise recorded Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of websites on the open internet showing how children under 10 are being manipulated into sexual acts. “Although this incredible extent has been known for a long time and reports are increasing every year, no effective steps are still being taken.”
said Waltraud Gugerbauer, Managing Director of ECPAT Austria.
Easy access to depictions of abuse
This is also shown by the current study by the Finnish children’s rights organization Protect Children – Protect Children – with 30,000 respondents who actively consume depictions of child abuse on the Darknet. This brings new insights into technology platforms that perpetrators often use to sexually abuse and exploit children online. 77% of those surveyed said they discovered depictions of abuse not on the Darknet but on the open Internet, particularly on porn sites and social media. Around 30% of perpetrators also search, view and share abusive material via social media and encrypted messaging apps. Instagram, Facebook and Discord were the most frequently used platforms through which perpetrators also sought direct contact with a child. End-to-end encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal have also been widely used for these illegal activities.
“Against this backdrop, we reiterate the importance of technology companies taking responsibility for the terrible acts that occur through their platforms. The perpetrators also consciously use services with end-to-end encryption, which allow them to commit their crimes without fear of prosecution. ECPAT calls for strong European legislation to help detect and eliminate online child sexual abuse – including grooming – on all platforms. The technology for this already exists. We cannot continue to see these crimes being allowed to happen before our eyes.”
explains Gugerbauer.
Questions & Contact:
ECPAT Austria
Waltraud Gugerbauer
Managing directors
069919237602
gugerbauer@ecpat.at
www.ecpat.at