EDINBURG, Scotland: A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh has shed light on the alarming prevalence of online sexual exploitation and abuse against children worldwide.
According to the findings published by the university’s Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, more than 300 million children, constituting one in eight globally, fall victim to non-consensual distribution, sharing, and exposure to sexual content online annually.
The report unveils a harrowing reality where children face a myriad of offenses, ranging from solicitation and unwanted sexting to the creation of deepfake videos and images using AI technology. Particularly concerning is the revelation that the United States emerges as a high-risk area, with one in nine men confessing to online offenses against children.
Childlight’s chief executive, Paul Stanfield, aptly describes the situation as a “global health pandemic” that demands urgent attention and a concerted global response. The report underscores the gravity of the issue, with instances of child abuse material being reported to watchdog and policing organizations at an alarming rate of once every second.
The urgency to address this crisis is further underscored by recent warnings from UK police regarding criminal gangs in West Africa and Southeast Asia targeting British teenagers through sextortion scams online. Cases of sextortion, especially against teenage boys, are on the rise globally, prompting organizations like Britain’s National Crime Agency to issue alerts to educators to safeguard vulnerable pupils.
These scammers, often masquerading as peers on social media platforms, swiftly transition to encrypted messaging apps to coerce victims into sharing intimate images. Their primary motive is financial gain through extortion, highlighting the need for robust preventive measures and global collaboration to protect children from the insidious threat of online exploitation and abuse.
