Digitalisation is changing the world – Part two

Digitalisation is changing the world. Small and big changes generate opportunities for a safer world for all of us. But there are also tremendous threats and risks for all of us, especially for children regarding online sexual exploitation. What do you know about those risks and threats ? It is important to understand words and to use the right terminology.

What is live online child sexual exploitation ?

Live online child sexual abuse is related to the sexual exploitation of children through prostitution and sexual performances as well as to the production of child sexual abuse material. Live online child sexual abuse often represents a dual abuse of the child. The child is coerced to participate in sexual activities, alone or with other persons — an act that already constitutes sexual abuse. The sexual activity is, at the same time, transmitted live through information and communication technologies and watched by others remotely.

Live online child sexual abuse has been observed to take on both commercial and non-commercial forms, and there are cases where it has been set up as a business with the only apparent objective being to make money out of the sexual exploitation of the children involved.

What is online grooming ?

The solicitation of children for sexual purposes is often referred to as “grooming” or “online grooming”. It can be described as a practice by means of which an adult “befriends” a child (often online, but also offline) with the intention of sexually abusing her/him. Online grooming in particular refers to the use of the Internet or other digital technologies to facilitate either online or offline sexual contact with a child. The process of grooming includes actions taken by the offender (for example through email, social media, gaming systems, chatting) to build a relation of trust with the child and possibly arrange a face-to-face meeting. As the relationship develops, child sex offenders may show pornography (involving adults or children) to the victim in order to lower the child’s inhibitions, to normalise and desensitise the child to sexual activity, as well as to teach the child sexual behaviours.

What is sexual extortion of children ?

Sexual extortion is considered a feature of online solicitation. It involves a process whereby children or young people are coerced into continuing to produce sexual material under the threat of exposing the said material to others (for example posting images on social media). The offender blackmails the child in order to obtain sexual gratification or money. The latter is called “commercial sexual extortion”, in which case the offenders look for an easy way to obtain financial gain. This can take the form of either blackmailing the victims by demanding money in exchange for not distributing the sexually explicit material depicting them, or the commercial distribution of material obtained through online solicitation.

For more information please check the “Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse” edited by ECPAT International and ECPAT Luxembourg under http://luxembourgguidelines.org/english-version/

Don’t look away but report !

The Internet and other information and communication technologies have become an integral part of today’s society, for both adults and children. Children especially spend many hours a day online, using numerous digital devices for a wide variety of activities (schoolwork, social networking, gaming, sharing pictures and videos, etc.). The online world helps us to connect with others and provides access to a colossal amount of information, which can be extremely useful for children’s learning and development.

However, just as there are risks in the offline world, there are also risks in the online world. These risks are associated with human behaviour.

A child in the online environment is no different from a child offline and deserves the same level of protection. All persons under the age of 18 years are entitled to special protection. The impact of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse online is as serious as it is offline, and in some cases has even more severe consequences. For example, the online dissemination of child sexual abuse images can continue long after the victim has become an adult.

By reporting, you could help the police find the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Report under http://www.reportchildsextourism.eu/?lang=en or http://www.childprotection.lu/

Communiqué par ECPAT Luxembourg