USD 5 million Global Open Call, critical research findings from the Philippines & the latest on age assurance

Ready to dive into pressing online child safety issues? In this edition of the Safe Online newsletter, we're shining a spotlight on the latest efforts to combat online child exploitation and abuse. 

🌍 First up, read about Safe Online’s upcoming Global Open Call and get ready to join the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). 

🔍 In other updates, the fight against online CSEA is heating up. Discover eye-opening research from Safe Online grantee, Justice and Care shedding light on the 'epidemic levels' of online CSEA in the Philippines . Plus, get insights into the latest data as the Internet Watch Foundation declares 2023 as the ‘most extreme year on record’ for child abuse content online. 

🌟Dive into collaborative efforts at events like the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit , where stakeholders joined forces to shape a comprehensive framework for child protection in the digital world.  

📆 Explore upcoming events and resources, including Safe Online’s participation at high-level events including the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Colombia in November.  

Stay engaged, stay informed, and let's drive change together! 🌟 

Highlights

Exciting news! Safe Online will soon launch a new USD 5 million Global Open Call to foster a safer internet worldwide

This initiative will address online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) and related harms through a comprehensive approach across multiple sectors. Proposals are welcome under three investment pillars: Networks and Systems, Research and Data, and Technology Tools. This will further expand the Safe Online Portfolio, currently investing nearly USD 100 million across 106 projects in almost 100 countries. Keep an eye out for the announcement on the Safe Online website and our social media channels. 

Alarming findings from the Philippines 

A recent study by Safe Online grantee, Justice and Care with Dublin city University and De La Salle University, reveals a concerning surge in online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). Fueled by global demand and a local 'cottage industry', this issue has reached ‘epidemic levels’. Through interviews with convicted local offenders, the research uncovers how internet connectivity, mobile device access, and online payment methods have fueled online abuse. Funded by the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund , this study fills crucial gaps in understanding the supply side of online CSEA in the region. Learn more here . 

Funding innovative research on Generative AI

The Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund is backing new research on generative AI and online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). The University of Kent is conducting the first funded research, examining how the proliferation of Gen AI in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) impacts attitudes and behaviors of individuals who engage with CSAM along with responses from the prevention ecosystem. More projects will be chosen for funding in 2025. Read this blog for more.

Safe Online driving a transformative shift towards a safer digital world

This year, Safe Online is driving a transformative shift towards a safer digital world for children and young people. Spotlighting the urgent need for protection of children in an increasingly online world, we’re leveraging high-impact events to advance the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse. This September in New York, at the margins of the UN General Assembly and the UN Summit of the Future , Safe Online will be championing online safety for children together with All Tech is Human . Following this, at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Colombia in November 2024, Safe Online together with WeProtect Global Alliance and other partners will be hosting 'Safe Digital Futures for Children,' an event on online violence against children. The event will illuminate the digital challenges children face, foster cross-sector dialogue, and create a platform to secure political commitments and investments for child-centric, safety by design driven solutions, and response mechanisms against online harms. It will also provide a vital opportunity to explore the connections between digital spaces and the broader violence prevention agenda, identifying effective ways to integrate and align efforts globally. Stay tuned for more updates. 

Other news

‘Most extreme year on record’ for child abuse content online

says Safe Online grantee, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in their new annual report which reveals that thousands of images and videos of three-to-six-year-old children who have been groomed, coerced and tricked into sexually abusive acts, are now being found on the internet. For the first time, children as young as three years old are now being targeted by predators. Overall, in 2023, the IWF found 275,652 webpages containing child sexual abuse – a record-breaking number and an 8% increase from the previous year. Read more here.  

Demystifying age-assurance to protect children online

5Rights Foundation, a Safe Online grantee, hosted a discussion on 'Demystifying age-assurance to protect children online' with the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights , Ofcom , Agencia Española de Protección de Datos - AEPD , and other experts. The goal was to provide the child rights community with a clearer understanding of age assurance solutions that protect and empower children online. Watch the recording here.

Coming up!

🗓️ 22 May at 12:30pm - 1:30pm CES Safe Online at PIER 24 Annual Conference

Join Safe Online Executive Director, Marija Manojlovic at this year’s PIER 24 Conference on Tackling Online Harms on 22 May at 1230-1330 CEST. Marija will be in a conversation with Iain Drennan, Executive Director, WeProtect Global Alliance to discuss the current state of online CSEA; threats posed by recent trends including Gen AI and key examples from Safe Online investment portfolio that tackle this pressing issue. PIER's annual conference is an important hybrid event that brings together international experts dedicated to tackling the global challenge of sexual abuse of children online. To know more and register, here.  

🗓️ May 23 at 4pm CEST Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM)

Safe Online grantee, INHOPE , is hosting a webinar on May 23 at 4pm CEST to discuss the concerning misuse of generative AI in generating Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Experts will highlight how perpetrators are manipulating innocent imagery using generative AI to create harmful content. The webinar will discuss this emerging trend and explore ways to detect and prevent it. To know more and register.  

Resources

New Safety by Design Principles 

Thorn, Safe Online grantee, along with All Tech is Human , has collaborated with major tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft to develop Safety by Design principles. These principles aim to prevent the creation and dissemination of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AIG-CSAM) and other sexual harms against children. Read more in the white paper .

Best Interests of the Child in the Digital Environment

The report 'Best Interests of the Child in the Digital Environment,' by Digital Futures for Children , 5Rights , and LSE Research Centre, unpacks when, how and who determines the best interests of the child online. The report provides important clarity on when a “best interests” determination is required and makes clear that it is not in place of the full gamut of children’s rights. Read the report here.    

VOICE Project – Speaking up for Change: “We want both protection from harm and privacy” 

In the VOICE project, nearly 500 children and over 6,000 caregivers from 15 countries shared their perspectives on online safety. Led by ECPAT International , Eurochild, and Terre des Hommes Netherlands for the Down to Zero Alliance, the initiative aims to inform policy discussions on safe digital environments. The research findings, focusing on children's and caregivers' perceptions and behaviours regarding online safety, particularly protection from child sexual abuse online, were recently launched. Read the report here.

Hear from our grantee - Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS)

Child Protection in the Digital Age

In today's fast-evolving digital world, child online safety is critical. The recent Global Age Assurance Standards Summit , organized by Safe Online grantee, Age Check Certification Scheme , and the British Standards Institution (BSI) in April 2024, was a significant milestone. With over 700 stakeholders from diverse sectors, including governments, regulators, international organizations, civil society, academia, industry, and technical experts, the summit developed a comprehensive framework for age assurance standards online. The resulting communique reflects the collaborative efforts and insights shared during this pivotal event. Read more in the blog from ACCS .  

Mark your calendars

Mark your calendars for these upcoming key moments and visit the Safe Online website for more.  

🗓️ May 2024

27-31  | Senegal Regional Workshop, Saly, Senegal

🗓️ June 2024

27  | All Tech is Human Summit , London

🗓️ July 2024

11  | Safe Online and Giga event on Child Online Safety

22-24  | TrustCon, San Francisco, USA

🗓️ August 2024

5-8  |Dallas CAC Conference , Dallas , USA

22-24 | ISPCAN Sweden 2024 Congress , Sweden

🗓️ September 2024

16 | Responsible Tech Summit , New York, USA

17 | Safe Online and All Tech is Human online child safety event, New York, USA

20-24 | UN Summit of the Future , NY, USA- Global Compact

26-27 | Trust and Safety Research Conference , San Francisco, USA, Stanford  Internet Observatory

News to share

Do you have news to share?  Our newsletter keeps you informed on the latest progress, news, events and reports from Safe Online and the wider community working to end violence against children. To do this, we need information from those who know it best: our grantees and partners.

Email tahseen.alam@end-violence.org with content submissions, including case studies, recently released reports, data and other updates.

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