A new report from the University of Edinburgh’s Childlight Global Child Safety Institute has revealed shocking evidence in respect of the commercialisation of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

The sexual exploitation and abuse of children has become a multibillion-dollar global trade. It is reported that financial institutions, tech companies and online payment platforms all profit from this industry - sometimes unknowingly, sometimes by omission. They are often complicit in sustaining these crimes. 

It is estimated that 3.5% of children globally had experienced sexual extortion in the last year. This is where children and their families are threatened with the disclosure of sexual material if they do not hand over money.  

It is not just criminal offenders who benefit from this trade. Some of the money moves through legitimate payment systems and advertising revenue streams. Whilst many businesses have processes in place to identify and report this activity, these systems are often inadequately checked or challenged by financial regulators and laws.

There is a thriving market for the sale of child sexual abuse material. One video file of on-demand child sexual abuse can sell for £1,000. It is estimated that around 300 million children are affected each year meaning this is big business involving huge profits. 

A secondary market has developed with companies founded to provide cyber security and reputational management for victims of extortion. 

Perpetrators are often extremely agile and will change their approach exploiting gaps in legislation and regulatory frameworks to continue harming children. The use of technology, as well as cryptocurrency and digital payment systems, offers perpetrators a high degree of anonymity.

One such use of technology is AI-generated child sexual abuse material, using images of real children in order to extort.

The report from Edinburgh University calls for a co-ordinated response to halt the growth of child sexual exploitation and abuse. One measure identified is the use of “blocklists” - lists of known child sexual abuse material that can be blocked across major internet service providers. Organisations such as the Internet Watch Foundation have begun compiling such lists. 

It is recommended that child sexual exploitation and abuse be treated as a public health emergency. Legal and legislative changes need to be coupled with robust preventative strategies embedded in the financial and technological systems which maintain this industry. Stronger penalties and sanctions for companies that do not comply will be vital. 

Comment 

The online exploitation and abuse of children is a huge industry, but the damage inflicted on the children involved is immeasurable. Sweeping reforms and stringent measures are required to tackle this billion-dollar business. This will, however, be an uphill task as perpetrators are constantly evolving their practices and employing different tactics. Tough financial penalties for any company facilitating the exploitation of children, inadvertently or not, may be the only solution.