Report: More than 300 million children are exposed to sexual exploitation and abuse on the Internet every year

According to a report published in Childlight’s Global Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Prevalence Index, more than 300 million children under the age of 18 were victims of online sexual exploitation last year.

The report found that in the past 12 months, one in eight children worldwide were victims of online advertising that exposed them to unwanted sexual conversations, including non-consensual sexting, unwanted sexual questions and unwanted requests for sexual acts by adults or other young people.

“Our evidence must also serve as a wake-up call that in some parts of the world, up to one in nine men have sexually assaulted children online – and that many would continue to sexually assault children if they believed it could be kept secret,” wrote Paul Stanfielf, CEO of Childlight, noting that “at least 300 million children are subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse every year.”

The researchers also found that one in eight children was a victim of recording, sharing and/or viewing sexual images and videos without their consent in the last year.

In addition, in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, 11 percent, 7 percent and 7.5 percent of men, respectively, exhibited behavior that could be classified as online child sexual abuse.

“The numbers are enormous. But behind every number is a child. Children in families, communities and schools, online and in person. In fact, some of you reading this report are likely victims of abuse yourselves,” the report said.

While the report finds that there appears to be no “statistically significant difference” between the experiences of girls and boys when it comes to online child sexual abuse, the data sources used for the study show that girls are more likely to appear in materials dealing with online child sexual abuse.

The report called for child sexual exploitation and abuse to be treated as a global health pandemic.

“We need a health policy approach that not only responds to child sexual exploitation and abuse, but also prevents it. We owe that to our children.”