Child Sexual Abuse
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1 billion children have experienced violence in the past year.
One in 10 children will be sexually abused by the age of 18.
60% of these victims never speak up.
This sexual abuse comes in many forms, ranging from child porn and internet grooming, to molestation and rape. One prevalent example, which remains legal in many countries today, is Child Marriage.
The consequences of such abuse can include mental illness such as depression, PTSD and anxiety, as well as physical injuries.
It is estimated that 19.7% of females and 7.9% of males suffer sexual abuse as children.
However, these numbers increased in 2020, as Covid-19 caused a severe spike in online child exploitation.
This spike has highlighted a need for governments and law enforcement agencies to share intelligence and resources, as issues of child exploitation and child sex abuse cross all borders and are not limited to one jurisdiction.
A representative from the Italian Interior Ministry stated that “The possibility for the national security system to share views have certainly made it possible to lay the foundations of renewed international collaboration and increase at a technical and operational level, the possibility of reaching environments that have not been fully explored yet.”
The importance of communication and collaboration between governments and other organisations is phenomenal. It will pave the way for new solutions to global problems, such as child sexual abuse.
The prospects of success for such intelligence sharing were seen this year in the UAE, where, thanks to an alliance between 11 governments, the following was made possible:
549 children rescued from abusive environments
771 arrests were made in relation to child exploitation
580 websites and apps used for child exploitation were blocked
Not only were the children removed from these abusive environments, but they were also provided with follow up physical and mental health care to deal with the trauma.
“Reports from the members of the public, including victims themselves, as well as the covert nature of our work led us to child sexual predators.” said Captain Khatir.
The UAE is further working with other jurisdictions that have established rehabilitation programs for victims of such offences, finding the rescued children homes throughout Europe and Australia.
The UAE is not the only country to have some success in locating and saving victims of child sex abuse, however, it is an excellent example of the good that can be done when governments share intelligence and cooperate.
The biggest limitation to agencies and organisations battling child sex abuse is jurisdiction – the issue is global, and so need to be its resolutions.
Our global community needs a global solution.