Protecting children from sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse is a growing problem, both online and offline. In 2023 alone, there were 1.3 million reports of child sexual abuse in the EU, which included more than 3.4 million images and videos. Reports of child sexual abuse have also significantly grown on a global scale, with 1 million reports in 2010 to almost 35.9 million in 2023, including nearly 105.6 million images and videos.  

According to the Internet Watch Foundation, the EU stills ranks highest in the world for hosting images and videos of child sexual abuse, with three in every five child sexual abuse reports (59%) hosted in an EU Member State. The proactive detection by companies of online child sexual abuse has been instrumental in rescuing children from ongoing abuse. In many cases, the companies are the only ones that can detect and report the abuse, either because the child is too scared or young to report or the parents and carers are unaware of the abuse or are themselves the abusers.  

Child sexual abuse has life-long consequences for victims. Every time perpetrators share images and videos online, the violation of their privacy continues, often lasting for years. Victims have to live with the knowledge that the content showing the worst moments of their lives is being circulated and anyone, including friends and relatives, may see it.  

The evolution of the digital world has made this crime a global one, contributing to the creation of a global market for child sexual abuse material which is shared online across borders.  

The Internet provides anonymity and an environment in which abusers can interact, exchange materials and manuals how to groom and abuse minors as well as build their own community.  

Child sexual abuse offenders have become increasingly sophisticated in their use of technology. For instance, by using social media with end-to-end encryption, the abusers share and trade images and videos with impunity. There are often closed groups on social media that require an ‘entrance fee’ in exchange for (new, unseen) child sexual abuse material.  

Viewing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is therefore not just a passive crime; it actively fuels the demand for more content to be produced. Each time material is consumed, it encourages perpetrators to exploit children, further promoting the cycle of abuse and victimisation. Research also shows that almost half of those that view CSAM seek contact with children to abuse them.   

Technological development has also fuelled demand for child sexual abuse material by enabling the monetization of abuse. Abusers can with one click, pay to watch live streaming of child sexual abuse and access dedicated platforms on the dark web. Technology has contributed to the increase of digital crimes such as sextortion, combining "sex" and "extortion," whereby criminals threaten to expose explicit images or videos of victims, often children, unless paid. 

2020-2025 EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse 

The EU’s Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse is the reference framework for EU actions during the 2020 – 2025 period. It includes 8 initiatives to put in place a strong legal framework for the protection of children and facilitate a coordinated approach across the many actors involved in protecting and supporting children. 

The Strategy also focuses on identifying gaps in legislation as well as best practises and priority actions. It sets out the initiatives to boost coordination, including a prevention network for practitioners and researchers, creating an EU Centre on Child Sexual Abuse (EU Centre), cooperating with industry through the EU Internet Forum and supporting the WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Child Sexual Exploitation Online.

The EU fights against child sexual abuse in multiple ways, including through coordinated international police actions in which Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre is a key player. Some recent examples of Europol’s successes include: 

• 57 men arrested for possessing and sharing over 100 000 depictions of child sexual abuse 
• 39 suspects identified in major online child sexual abuse swoop in the Western Balkan region 
• Europol Victim Identification Taskforce leads to rescue of three sexually abused children 
• 49 arrests in Poland in an operation targeting child sexual exploitation online
• 146 children worldwide saved in an operation targeting child abuse online 

Further information concerning recent cases of child sexual abuse that started with a report from an online service provider is available here. 

Policy framework 

EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse 

Legislative proposal for a regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse 

Proposal for a Regulation on preventing and combatting the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children 

Analysis of related legislation 

Regulatory Scrutiny Board: Positive opinion 

Commission services replies to comments from the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, further explaining the proposal 

Follow-up questions to the Commission after the presentation of the proposal 

Comments of the services of the Commission with regards to the time-frame between the expiration of the Interim Regulation and the adoption of the proposed Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse 

Comments of the services of the Commission on some elements of the Joint Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor and the European Data Protection Board (EDPS-EDPB) 

Comments of the services of the Commission on some elements of the Draft Final Complementary Impact Assessment on the Proposal 

Proposal for the extension of the Interim Regulation 

Recast of the Directive to strengthen criminal law on child sexual abuse 

European Parliament documents 

European Parliament resolution: Children rights in occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child 

European Parliament resolution of 26 November 2019 on children’s rights on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 

Council of the EU documents 

Council conclusions on combating the sexual abuse of children 

The European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) 

EU Security Union Strategy 

National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children 

Internet Watch Foundation 

INHOPE 

WeProtect Global Alliance - against child sexual exploitation and abuse online 

COVID-19 Global online safety advice for parents and carers 

Helplinks for those with a sexual interest in children