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Blog & Updates
Youth-led social change: Creating a generation of empowered digital citizens
By Victor Samuel, Program Manager, Action Against Child Sexual Abuse Initiative(ACSAI) ACSAI is challenging misconceptions about online violence, breaking cultural barriers that silence victims, and creating safer digital spaces for children in Africa, by amplifying the voices of digital natives and survivors. Sexual violence is often shrouded in silence due to cultural taboos, and online-assisted crimes against children and young people face similar stigma. Unfortunately, a widespread misconception exists that young people are merely users of technology, not direct victims of online crimes. Online child sexual exploitation and abuse of children, especially young girls, is on the rise. Young change makers use their own personal social media platforms to share relatable, anonymized stories, demystifying digital threats and empower young people to recognize, resist, and report abuse. They teach others about: Violence: sextortion that happens via messaging apps, grooming through fake social media accounts and AI- generated images of minors Responsible internet use: encouraging privacy settings and secure passwords, not to share or forward explicit content, understanding consent in the digital space, discouraging participation in online bullying, shaming, and knowing how to verify information sources as an essential digital literacy skill Guidance to peers experiencing abuse: listening without judgment, recognizing signs of online abuse, knowing when and how to refer peers to trusted adults or support systems, and promoting the ACSAI reporting hotline The program’s success lies in its participatory approach, ensuring that young people are not just recipients of information but active contributors in shaping solutions. At least 40 cases of online abuse have been reported through the ACSAI hotline with support from E-Changemakers Over 32 instances of child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate image content have been successfully removed through a range of trusted reporting mechanisms. These young ambassadors play a critical role** in: Educating peers on how to report abuse Facilitating the removal of intimate images and child sexual abuse material Advocating for a safer digital environment By working alongside young people and survivors, we have successfully co-created solutions with them. We have transformed the narrative: young people are not just spectators but active participants in creating a safer digital world. * When a report is been made to the ACSAI hotline (www.acsaing.org/report), ACSAI's trained Internet Content Analyst verifies and classifies the content as CSAM or IIA (intimate image abuse).
May 28, 2025
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Brave Movement welcomes signing of bipartisan Take It Down Act as “a step forward in protecting all children from online sexual abuse and exploitation.”
WASHINGTON DC, 19 May 2025 – The Brave Movement – a global movement of survivors and allies working to end sexual violence against children and adolescents – has welcomed the signing into law today of the Take It Down Act. Brave Movement Founder and CEO of Together for Girls, Dr Daniela Ligiero said: “ Online child sexual exploitation and abuse is an epidemic, and one growing at an exponential rate. More than 300 million children have been affected by online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the last year, with 10 cases of abuse reported every second. In the run-up to the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada in June, the Brave Movement has called on all G7 countries to prioritize online safety as part of greater leadership action in ending all violence against children.
May 19, 2025
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Take It Down Act: Awaited U.S. legislation to keep kids safe from online sexual exploitation
It specifically targets the distribution and threats of sharing non-consensual intimate images - including AI-generated content - as a federal crime, protecting survivors from further harm and ensuring that there are no loopholes for perpetrators based on location. Over 300 million children under the age of 18 have been affected by online child and sexual exploitation and abuse in the last 12 months. As the home to many of the world’s leading tech companies, the United States holds a unique position of responsibility and influence in shaping online child protection standards. The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the act of intentionally publishing or threatening to publish non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated content, on online platforms. Violence, which might start in an online sphere, negatively impacts children in the physical world, such as bullying in school or acts of sexual violence physically perpetrated offline. Alarmingly, 1 in 8 children globally have been subjected to online solicitation, and 1 in 8 children have experienced taking, sharing, and or/exposure to sexual images and videos in the last 12 months. Online sexual violence can have serious emotional, health, and psychosocial impacts on children and youth, including into adulthood. I was a victim of technology-assisted child sexual abuse when I was 13 … It's been 21 years since my abuse, and I still live in fear of those images.
April 28, 2025
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Breaking the record of inaction in Nigeria: child-centred, grassroots advocacy for a safer digital future
New data, the world's very first global prevalence figure of childhood sexual violence unveiled by Together for Girls' Break the Record Campaign, shows that in the past 12 months, 82 million girls and 69 million boys experienced some form of sexual violence. This global scourge must be addressed, and we can certainly break this record of inaction towards ending childhood sexual violence. Collaborating with grassroots organizations around ending childhood sexual violence is critical to our mission. It includes data from Childlight which finds that over 300 million children under the age of 18 have been affected by online child and sexual exploitation and abuse in the last 12 months. These forms of childhood sexual violence, both contact and non-contact, have serious emotional, health, and psychosocial impacts on children and youth, including into adulthood. At Ravens Place, a school on the outskirts of Lagos, we delved into the urgent need to address online violence, with youth ambassadors facilitating group discussions with the children. The year ahead will be driven by Suburbancares youth-led advocacy with a children's summit focused on ending Online Sexual Violence in April 2025.
December 17, 2024
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We need bold and transformative action to end childhood sexual violence online
Digital platforms can and are being exploited by individuals to sexually abuse or exploit children, and new and emerging risks such as AI-generated imagery depicting child sexual abuse and financial sexual extortion are developing rapidly and further complicating efforts to end childhood sexual violence online. According to their Into the Light Index which was released earlier this year: 1 case of abuse is reported every second Online child sexual exploitation and abuse is prevalent in every country where it is measured 1 in 8 children globally have been subjected to online solicitation in the last 12 months 3.5% of children experienced sexual extortion The evidence reminds us of our collective responsibility to provide children and young people with the safe digital world that they deserve. Earlier this year, we presented a joint call to action by survivors and allies, alongside Safe Online and WeProtect Global Alliance, which called on the tech industry and other relevant stakeholders to commit to prevent and end the sexual exploitation and abuse of children online. Funding Prioritizing stable, sustained funding which tackles online child sexual exploitation and abuse is essential to addressing this issue as well. Ricardo Lins Horta highlighted evidence-based solutions from Brazil: Throughout the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, the importance of tackling childhood sexual violence online was highlighted by survivors and allies, and governments. Throughout the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, the importance of tackling childhood sexual violence online was highlighted by survivors and allies, and governments.
December 2, 2024
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Young voices demand action: protecting our generation from online abuse now
Having grown up in the digital age, young people often understand the online world better than anyone else. For real change to happen, we must recognize a critical issue: discussions about online safety for young people often occur without their direct input. We must address our perspectives on the need for more education, stricter regulations, and the inclusion of young voices in online safety discussions. Young people have grown up surrounded by digital technology, and their understanding of the online world often surpasses that of older generations. It is essential that young people are included in conversations about internet safety and that their voices are heard. There have been ample discussions about what needs to be done for young people to be safe online without including any of them. Stronger regulations, improved age verification, and the inclusion of young voices in discussions about online safety are all essential steps toward protecting young people in the digital world. By increasing awareness, implementing better safety measures, and encouraging cooperation between tech companies, law enforcement, and parents, we can help make the online world safer for children. Governments must ensure that moment through their pledges; the right people are at the table and ready to take bold action to keep children safe online.
November 20, 2024
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A historic opportunity to protect children from digital harms
But behind the excitement, there’s a darker story that needs urgent attention: the safety of children and young people in the digital world. Now an advocate and survivor of technology-assisted child sexual abuse, Rhiannon-Faye is on a mission: to drive a coordinated, global response to online sexual violence. This illustrates a horrifying reality: online violence against children is a borderless crime that affects children of all genders and reaches every corner of the world. In just a few days, over 100 global leaders will gather in Bogotá, Colombia, for the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children. For the first time, global leaders will be asked to commit to ending childhood sexual violence, a critical step in the fight to protect children in all spheres, including the digital realm. Our organisations— Safe Online , the Brave Movement and WeProtect Global Alliance —along with 15 other child rights groups , will host a satellite event called ‘ Safe Digital Futures for Children ’ on the margins of the conference. Governments must prioritise digital safety in their violence prevention strategies, recognizing that online violence is a global health crisis demanding a comprehensive response. Without a strong focus on digital safety, efforts to combat violence in the digital space will remain fragmented, leaving children vulnerable to preventable harm. Ministers have a unique opportunity to lead by example and set the standard for how the world should tackle digital violence against children.
October 28, 2024
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A survivor's account of sexual abuse beyond the screen
In January, I got a call from the Red Dot Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization based in India.
August 9, 2024
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Online childhood sexual violence: a global menace
I am a survivor of technology-assisted child sexual abuse. When I was 13 years old, I was groomed online by a much older man pretending to be someone else.
July 25, 2024
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