Today, on the International Day for the Prevention and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence, It’s a Penalty is shining a spotlight on one of the fastest-growing threats to children worldwide: Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA).
A Crisis Growing at Unprecedented Speed
Online abuse has risen sharply in recent years, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, an estimated 302 million children worldwide experienced online sexual exploitation and abuse in the past year alone.
New technologies have also made the situation worse. In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported a 1,325% increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These synthetic images deepen the harm for survivors and make abusive content even harder to control.
Online grooming, coercion and sexual harassment are becoming worryingly common. Research shows that:
- 12.5% of children globally have experienced unwanted sexual talk or solicitation online
- 3.5% of children have faced sextortion, where someone threatens to share private images unless demands are met
Online and offline abuse are also deeply connected. Digital spaces often become the gateway for real-world abuse, while children already facing challenges offline are more vulnerable to online harm.
Olivia’s Story
Behind every statistic is a child whose life has been deeply affected.
Olivia was just three years old when she was first abused by her caregiver. The man repeatedly harmed her, filmed the abuse, and uploaded the images and videos online. He hid his identity carefully, distorting anything that might reveal who he was.
Five years later, Olivia was finally rescued by police, and her abuser was jailed. But the abuse did not end there. The images of her suffering continue to circulate online, shared by offenders all over the world – often for profit.
As one investigator involved in her case explained:
“Knowing an image of your suffering is being shared or sold online is hard enough. But for survivors, fearing that they could be identified, or even recognised as an adult, is terrifying.”
Olivia’s experience shows how online abuse can leave lifelong scars, even long after physical safety is restored.
*Name changed to protect identity
The Commonwealth’s Role in Keeping Children Safe
OCSEA affects children in every region of the Commonwealth, though rates and risks differ from country to country.
Research from the Disrupting Harm project shows that up to 20% of internet-using children in parts of Africa and Asia have experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse in the past year. In high-income countries, one in five young people report unwanted exposure to sexual content online, and one in nine have experienced sexual solicitation.
Because the internet has no borders, perpetrators often operate from countries with weaker laws or no extradition agreements. This means coordination action is essential.
With 56 member nations, the Commonwealth represents 2.5 billion people, including an estimated 936 million children – almost 40% of the world’s under-18 population. This gives the Commonwealth a unique responsibility to lead global action.
The Kigali Declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform (2022) recognised online exploitation as a serious global issue and called for zero tolerance for violence against children online and offline. Earlier, the Commonwealth Cyber Declaration (2018) committed governments to strengthening cybersecurity and tackling online harms. While it does not mention OCSEA specifically, it provides a foundation for united action.
It’s a Penalty’s CommonProtect programme builds on this momentum – working to help Commonwealth countries strengthen laws, improve cooperation, and create safer digital environments for children everywhere.
Our Shared Responsibility
On this important day, It’s a Penalty is calling on governments, technology companies, communities, and every one of us to prioritise children’s safety online.
The Commonwealth has many ways to better protect children from OCSEA. Countries can work together to develop clearer, child-focused laws and close the gaps that offenders currently take advantage of across borders. Police, judges and prosecutors need more training and stronger international cooperation, while technology companies and governments should build safer online platforms and find responsible ways to detect harmful content, even in encrypted spaces. Improving age-verification tools, promoting safety-by-design, and investing in digital literacy and online safety education will also help children and families stay safer online. Together, these steps can create a more secure digital environment for every child in the Commonwealth.
Every child deserves to explore the digital world without risk of harm. Every survivor deserves healing, justice and protection. And every Commonwealth nation has a role to play in achieving this.