Ending sexual exploitation of children
Children have the right to be protected
One billion children worldwide have become victims of physical, psychological or sexual abuse in the past year.
What is
Sexual Exploitation
Sexual exploitation is when someone is forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for a reward. This can take various forms, such as forced prostitution, sexual abuse, making images of child sexual abuse and forced marriages.
Sexual exploitation exists everywhere. From East Africa and Asia to Europe, online, in hotels or on the streets.
Sexual child abuse and sexual exploitation are not the same. Sexual child abuse is a broad term that applies to any form of harmful or violent acts against a minor. Both physical and emotional. Including sexual abuse. Sexual exploitation is a form of sexual child abuse.
Online Sexual exploitation of children
Online Sexual Exploitation takes various forms, such as distributing and sharing images. But also grooming, where adults deliberately make contact with minors to sexually abuse them.
Perpetrators seek contact with children on the internet or via social media and force them to do things in front of a webcam or to send sexually explicit images of themselves. The anonymity of the internet often gives perpetrators a feeling of invulnerability. Online child exploitation is a global problem and combating it requires international cooperation.
Our work
What we do to stop sexual exploitation of children
We have programs worldwide to raise awareness about the dangers of (online) child sexual exploitation and how to prevent it.
We also help abused children with psychosocial and legal help, education and protection. We teach children and their parents about their rights and help children to make their voices heard. In this way, they can also demand better protection themselves. In addition, we train officers in dealing with victims and we help and advise governments in combating (online) child sexual exploitation.
