Global Threat Assessment 2023
Assessing the scale and scope of child sexual abuse online
Understanding the growing threats to transform the global response
Turning the tide on current abuse trends will only be possible with increased prioritisation and commitment from all stakeholders involved in the response, empowered and enabled by maturing legislation.
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Presenting the Global Threat Assessment
Iain Drennan, Executive Director of WeProtect Global Alliance, talks through the main findings of the 2023 Global Threat assessment, explaining the growing threats that children are facing online.
The presentation concludes by explaining the report’s “calls to actions”, a set of recommendations to prevent abuse online.
Alongside the report, we’ve published:
Parents’ perceptions of their children’s exposure to online sexual harms
A study of parents/ guardians in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa
Conducted by Economist Impact
#MyVoiceMySafety: exploring children’s perceptions of safety and risks online
A global poll of children aged 7-18
Conducted together with the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
Analysing online threats
The volume of child sexual abuse online continues to increase and intensify, while new trends and threats emerge. Better understand the key threats to child safety.
Year-on-year escalation
87% increase in volume of child sexual abuse material reports since 2019
Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2023
Emerging threats
New forms of abuse, like financial sexual extortion and AI-generated imagery, underscore the urgent need for Safety by Design
Online grooming trends
45 minutes: average time to lock a child into high-risk grooming conversation gaming online, it can take as little as 19 seconds
Source: Crisp, 2023
Recommendations to prevent abuse online
To prevent more children from coming to harm, governments, online service providers, civil society organisations, and all responders are urgently asked to:
Public health approach to prevent child sexual abuse online
The response needs more focus on preventing children being abused online, including tackling the root causes of offenders and more investment in Safety by Design initiatives.
Centre children’s rights and perspectives in the response
Incorporating children’s voices and a child-centred approach will enhance our understanding of the threat and address gaps in the response.
Align legislation globally to keep children safe online
Technology-neutral legislation can allow governments and regulators to adapt – helping tackle threats to online child safety without hindering innovation.
What children & survivors say
We asked children and survivors around the world for their opinions on the findings presented in the Global Threat Assessment and what needs to be done so they can feel safe online.
Online safety is important to us. Earlier this year, our Youth Council released an Open Letter, calling on the industry to stop putting profits ahead of safety.
Make the internet a space where children learn about the virtues of society, not the ominous predators it harbours. A space where they post #YOLO, not #MeToo.
Read the full report
How our understanding of threats have evolved
WeProtect Global Alliance produces a Global Threat Assessment report every two years to assess and track the changing scale and nature of child sexual exploitation and abuse online, in order to inform and direct the global response.
Access previous reports Global Threat Assessments below:
2018
Global Threat Assessment 2018
Threats evolving rapidly, more global solutions needed
2019
Global Threat Assessment 2019
Increasing scale, severity & complexity of abuse, need for enhanced response
2021
Global Threat Assessment 2021
Harm is growing and diversifying, fuelling a sustained rise in offending
2023
Global Threat Assessment 2023
A shift towards prevention is the only viable route to curb the sustained escalation of child sexual abuse online
A collaborative effort
The Global Threat Assessment report was produced in partnership with PA Consulting and Crisp, and features primary research conducted with Economist Impact and the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children.
Thanks to the project Steering Committee with representatives from across our membership and beyond.
