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Writer's pictureMacarena Ronderos Darcy
Nov 284 min read

COORDINATION AND PREVENTION TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM NEW RISKS

In 2000, the World Summit on Women Foundation, with consultative status with the United Nations, declared November 19 as the “Day for the Prevention of Abuse in Children and Adolescents” seeking to raise awareness and highlight a problem that affects hundreds of millions of children and adolescents under the age of 20.

Day for the Prevention of Abuse in Children and Adolescents.
Day for the Prevention of Abuse in Children and Adolescents.

As every year since 2011, the World Summit of Women Foundation calls for action through its “19 Days of Activism” campaign, which seeks to raise global awareness about violence prevention and promote activities in civil society and governments to collectively increase prevention measures.


During the first 19 days of November, a different topic related to violence against children and young people is addressed, such as violence and sexual abuse against children, child labor, trafficking and sale of children, child sex tourism, child trafficking, dangers of new technologies, among others.


In this way, aligned with SDG 16.2 - ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children - the campaign invites representatives and global leaders to be accountable when implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to think of strategies to guarantee a more just world for children and youth.


Why is it important to know about the dangers of new technologies?


In synergy with the various actions taken to prevent all forms of violence against children, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a series of teaching modules to raise awareness about cybercrimes that, among other things, can affect children and adolescents.


In its section on “Interpersonal Cybercrimes,” the office defines child sexual abuse as “contacts or interactions between a child and another child — older or more experienced — or an adult (a stranger, a brother, a sister, or a person in a position of authority, such as a father, mother, or caregiver) in which the child is used as an object to satisfy the sexual needs of the older child or adult” (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 1999). It also lists some of the different types of crimes that can be committed using new technologies, such as online child grooming, child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and live streaming of child sexual abuse.


Grooming is a form of sexual abuse that manifests itself through deception by adults seeking to gain the trust of minors on the Internet for sexual purposes. Using social networks, online games, and other digital platforms, offenders create fake profiles and pretend to be peers of the victims.


This recruitment process can be long and subtle, starting with harmless interactions to establish a relationship of trust with the child and then introducing sexual topics or inducing in-person meetings, which can culminate in physical abuse or the production and distribution of child abuse material.


As mentioned by UNODC, multiple studies have shown that the recruitment of minors for sexual purposes over the Internet does not follow a single process, but rather it changes in relation to the motivation, the capabilities of the aggressor and his ability to manipulate the victim. The ultimate goal of the aggressor is the sexual exploitation or abuse of the victim, either online (coercing or manipulating to obtain sexually explicit images or videos) or offline (organizing in-person meetings to commit sexual abuse) (UNODC).


In its report “Study on the effects of new information technologies on child abuse and exploitation” (2015), UNODC clarifies that criminal groups linked to child sexual abuse may or may not meet the definition of an organized criminal group established in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.


Depending on their structure, crimes and objectives, criminal groups that commit child sexual abuse material may fall within the definition of an organized criminal group for the purposes of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. According to Article 2 (a) of the Convention, an organized criminal group is defined as “a structured group of three or more persons, existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences established in accordance with the Convention, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.”


In relation to this, the Study on Cybercrime (2013) clarifies that current forms of organized crime “online” differ from traditional notions of this based on physical violence and relationships of trust. In contrast, in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), organized criminal groups may not have any in-person connection with their victim. With regard to the crime of child exploitation through ICTs, criminal groups are often involved in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, particularly in child sexual exploitation markets (UNODC, 2015).


Through the use of ICTs, criminals can more easily and cheaply recruit child victims for sexual exploitation, communicate with their accomplices and find clients. An example of this are groups offering child sex tourism. Increasingly, operators of child sexual exploitation businesses encourage their clients to pay additional fees for the recording of their exploits in the form of child sexual abuse material (UNODC, 2015).


Following the recommendations shared in the 2024 edition of the Child Abuse Prevention Kit, knowing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, promoting safe and regulated use of social media and involving children in defending against the dangers of technology are some of the actions to follow that will allow us to collaborate in defending children's rights.


The World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse invites us to reflect on the collective responsibility in the protection of children and adolescents. In the face of contemporary threats such as grooming, it is essential that preventive strategies evolve at the pace of technology. Educating children about the safe use of the Internet, involving families in monitoring digital activities and ensuring the existence of effective laws are essential steps.


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