Reacción a "A study warns that more than 10 million children in Asia and Africa have been subjected to online sexual exploitation or abuse"

The study published in Nature on the role of technology in child sexual exploitation and abuse in Africa and Asia is based on a very extensive and representative database, containing survey data from 11,912 children aged between 12 and 17 from 12 countries in Africa and Asia. This study provides us with very solid evidence on a problem that people do not want to talk about and which previous research had already highlighted: there is insufficient awareness that digital sexual violence against children occurs. The study analyses how many children and adolescents suffer this type of abuse, including whether they manage to ask for help and what barriers they encounter in doing so.

The most worrying finding is that one in six young internet users has suffered some form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse, and that more than half did not tell anyone. Furthermore, a point highlighted by the study’s researchers themselves is that the data was collected before the rise of generative artificial intelligence, and therefore does not reflect some new forms of abuse such as sexual deepfakes. If we wish to tackle the root cause, these would be the social dynamics that lead to the consumption of child sexual exploitation and abuse material; only in this way can we overcome this problem.

The message conveyed by this article is very clear both internationally and in Spain: it is not enough to simply ask children to report incidents; rather, it is essential that they know where to turn, that accessible and safe support channels exist, and that families, schools, social services, law enforcement and digital platforms work in a coordinated manner.

In this regard, it is essential to act in accordance with international principles such as ‘upstander intervention’, creating a support network for these victims that protects them and helps them break the silence surrounding abuse. For example, the Club de Valientes Violencia 0 is one of the Successful Initiatives (AEE) that is achieving results and transforming the world by protecting children from a very young age. Breaking the silence is a step that very few victims dare to take because they know that there is a form of isolating violence that will revictimise them and turn against the people who support them most. If we want victims of any kind of abuse to become survivors, it is essential to respect their voices and never act against their will.