Big Tech has allowed child sex abuse to become prolific online

The Urgent Need to Protect Children from Online Sexual Exploitation

Introduction

The trauma that results from sexual violence in childhood never goes away. I know this because I was raped by an adult cousin when I was only five years old.

The abuse placed me into the dark hole of repressed memory – a well-known neurological mechanism allowing the brain of a little child to erase the unspeakable. Traumatic memories are not really forgotten, but put aside, waiting to surge in later life.

Personal Experience and Consequences

I went through my teenage years unconscious of the horrendous weight I was carrying. But somehow, it was as if my body knew what had happened: I ate very little food to control my body and emotions. I developed phobias, experienced nightmares, and struggled to control my anger. I lacked concentration at school and battled addictions. I couldn’t get into a trustful and loving relationship.

When I was 37 years old, memory of the rapes surged. I went through long therapeutic, judicial and personal trials to heal.

I am 51 years old now. I finally feel at peace. I am a child rights activist and co-founder of the Brave Movement. I work alongside survivors and allies to end childhood sexual violence.

The Role of Big Tech

One of the primary focuses of my activism today is to pressure Big Tech to take action against the dissemination of child sexual exploitation material on platforms used daily by millions of people around the world.

When I was abused in the 1970s, the internet didn’t exist. The sexual crimes which were inflicted on me by this cousin were not shared on any social media platform. So you may wonder why I see targeting tech companies as a priority.

Decades after I was raped, in the 1990s, I learned that this cousin had become crazy about the internet and would spend days on it. It sickens me to this day to think of the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) he may have been able to access and share online. It outrages me that technology has advanced so much since then, but safeguards for children have been left in its dust.

When I was abused, my pain was so great that my brain repressed it. Can you imagine the experiences of children whose abuse circulates on the internet?

Today, millions of children are trapped in an endless cycle of re-traumatisation.

In 2022 alone, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received more than 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation material, coming from all over the world.

We are not talking about a small number of criminals in a corner of the dark web. Child sexual abuse online is prolific, and often perpetrated by members of a child’s circle of trust.

Enough is enough. It is time for decisive action to end this global crisis.

Responsibility of Tech Companies and Governments

Social media, technology and gaming companies are putting profit over children’s safety and building products and services that allow childhood sexual violence to fester.

These technologies could be incredible forces for good, and sources of entertainment, connection and opportunity for everyone, including young people and children. But, just like those who make toys, cars, clothing and other widely used products, the creators of these technologies have a responsibility to build safeguards, checks and mechanisms to ensure that they do not cause harm to users.

Technology companies and the brains that built them have decades of experience in navigating the digital world. They have shown over and over again they can quickly and efficiently reinvent, renovate and adapt their products to make them more appealing, easier to use and more profitable.

So when they shrug their shoulders and say they don’t have the tools to detect, report and remove CSAM from their platforms – and to be clear, this includes “Category A” online CSAM including the rape of children and even newborns, which has doubled since 2020 – we know that they are simply prioritising their bottom line.

Tech companies do have the skills and resources to build the defences we need to protect children. What they don’t have is the will to invest in and deploy those capabilities.

But responsibility does not end with tech companies. What about governments and regulators? Why are they not doing something? What do they exist for, if not to protect citizens from unaccountable power, regulate businesses to prevent harm and exploitation, and uphold human rights?

As a French citizen and survivor, I find it unbearable that more than 60 percent of reported CSAM is hosted in the European Union.

European leaders can and must stop this. There is proposed legislation – EU Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse Offline and Online – that would make it mandatory for service providers to report child sexual abuse on their platforms and alert authorities so that predators can be brought to justice.

This is a unique opportunity to save millions of children from a lifetime of trauma. As the issue of child sexual violence online climbs the political agenda around the world, in the United Kingdom, United States, African Union and beyond, the EU has an opportunity to set a powerful precedent by voting to protect children and hold tech companies to account.

So we need European governments to be brave and bold. We need them to stand up taller in the face of doubters, detractors and disruptors. This is why, as the proposal reaches critical stages of debate in the European Parliament, Brave Movement survivors, youth activists and allies are taking collective action in Brussels and across Europe.

We are in Brussels today to ensure children and survivors are put first. We will not allow legislation to be watered down or have its credibility tainted by Big Tech bullies and their supporters.

Conclusion

When I think about what I suffered and the years of trauma I have overcome, the thing I keep coming back to is: “When I

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The issues highlighted in the article are related to gender-based violence, specifically childhood sexual violence and exploitation. These issues align with SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. Additionally, SDG 16, which focuses on peace, justice, and strong institutions, addresses the need to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and violence against children. SDG 17, which emphasizes partnerships for the goals, is relevant as it calls for collaboration between different stakeholders to address these issues effectively.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
• Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

The article highlights the need to address violence against women and girls, particularly childhood sexual violence and exploitation. This aligns with Target 5.2 of SDG 5. The article also emphasizes the importance of ending abuse, exploitation, and violence against children, which corresponds to Target 16.2 of SDG 16. Furthermore, the article calls for partnerships between different stakeholders to tackle these issues effectively, which relates to Target 17.17 of SDG 17.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age group
• Indicator 16.2.3: Proportion of young women and men aged 18-29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18
• Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals

The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators. However, Indicator 5.2.1 of SDG 5 can be relevant to measure progress in addressing violence against women and girls, including childhood sexual violence. Indicator 16.2.3 of SDG 16 can be used to measure progress in addressing sexual violence against children. Indicator 17.17.1 of SDG 17 can be used to measure the financial commitment to public-private partnerships for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: aljazeera.com

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