Online child sexual exploitation and abuse and the role of stakeholders in reducing it

Online child sexual exploitation and abuse has become a global problem, with some calling it a global epidemic.

The discussion should become a daily conversation between children, parents, teachers, religious and youth leaders, governments and all key stakeholders. Only by working together can we minimize the risks to children online.

Online child sexual abuse and exploitation occurs when a child is groomed online. Grooming is the process of gaining the trust of a child online and then using that child’s private information to manipulate the child into committing illegal or harmful acts.

For example, a 40-year-old man can open an account on a social media site and pretend to be a 16-year-old boy. He will post content and photos of a random teenager. In the process, he will friend-request your 15-year-old daughter, they become good friends and share a lot of personal information.

The girl may think that she is in love with someone who really understands her. She may even agree to send him her nude photos, since the boy will do the same, only the photos the boy sends are not of him. After a while, the boy may ask the girl to send nude photos for her younger siblings, and if the girl refuses, the 40-year-old will threaten to send the earlier photos to the girl’s schoolmates… And the abuse continues unless the girl speaks out.

In most cases, children are unaware that they are being abused online. Online abusers learn their victims’ weaknesses before approaching them and offering them solutions and validation.

From the moment a child comes into contact with technology, we must be on the journey with him/her to prevent him/her from looking elsewhere for information that could be misleading.

Parents and caregivers are legally required to provide guidance to children in their care. However, you cannot provide guidance from a place of ignorance.

Unfortunately, the word sex and the conversation about sex is still taboo in most of society. By burying our heads in the sand, we subject our children to abuse and have nowhere to turn for help because having such a conversation ““I am going to eat mbaya”.

We need to try to understand how online sexual abuse happens, what the signs are, and where to seek help as our children interact with technology, whether it’s on our devices, in cyber cafes, or on their friends’ devices. In the digital age, we need to be both a parent and a friend to our children.

The government must create an environment where preventive conversations about child sexual abuse and exploitation can take place, reporting is made easier, investigation of reports and reintegration of child victims is possible. Ultimately, we all have a role to play in protecting children from all forms of online abuse, including sexual abuse.

(Athena M Morgan, International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children)