April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, but this spring also marks the launching of Know2Protect, an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security to help educate the public and prevent online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). According to a national youth survey, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 22.5% of young adults (18-28 years old) in the U.S. report having experienced some sort of online solicitation or technology-facilitated sexual abuse as a youth (<18 yrs of age).
Online CSEA, which includes a range of criminal acts against children for the sexual gratification or personal/financial gain of the perpetrators, has increased dramatically in recent years, including reports of over 88 million online images and videos of child sexual abuse, which is a 75% increase during the past 5 years. These reports do not include the additional child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) produced and shared on the non-public platforms within the dark web, which is estimated to include an enormous number of additional materials. With increased access to and use of technology among children and teens, the spaces for perpetrators to commit these crimes have only grown, and the issue of online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse is now classified as a global epidemic, affecting the most vulnerable in countries across the world.
The purpose of Know2Protect is to “educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults, and policymakers to prevent and combat online sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA); explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer response and support resources for victims and survivors of online child sexual exploitation” through an educational campaign. This project aims to:
- Create public awareness of online CSEA
- Teach strategies to prevent others from becoming victims of CSEA
- Increase reporting of suspected online CSEA, and
- Support survivors of online CSEA
One initiative of the Know2Protect campaign, Project iGuardianTM, provides in-person educational presentations by a team including trained Homeland Security special agents utilizing their expertise on the subject and their informed law enforcement perspective, as well as a teacher and student with knowledge of online CSEA. Such presentations have led to actual reports and resulted in successful investigations and prosecutions- lessening future threats to other vulnerable young people. Target audiences for iGuardianTM presentations include schools, community organizations, employers and local non-profit groups that desire to protect their communities and others from online CSEA. Readers may request a local presentation by emailing Project iGuardianTM at iguardian.hq@hsi.dhs.gov.
The Department of Justice offers specific tips to help keep children safe online:
- Talk to children about online risks.
- Know the apps/online platforms they use and whom they communicate with.
- Utilize parental controls and privacy settings.
- Report alarming posts or communications to local law enforcement. If the child may be in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
Also, if an act of online sexual abuse or exploitation has been committed, report the issue to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline at https://report.cybertip.org/.
To learn more about what internet-based companies/services, government agencies and the private sector can do to decrease the risk of online forms of child abuse, the Broadband Commission has created a report “Child Online Safety: Minimizing the Risk of Violence, Abuse and Exploitation Online.”
Written by: Jennifer Little, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Hancock County
Reviewed by: Megan Taylor, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Union County
References
- Know2Protect. U.S. Department of Homeland Security website. https://www.dhs.gov/k2
- Finkelhor D, Turner H, Colburn D. Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Oct 3;5(10):e2234471. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34471. PMID: 36239942; PMCID: PMC9568794.
- The Third Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. April 2023. https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/23_0420_plcy_2023-qhsr.pdf
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