Children at Risk
Written by Sandra Marchenko Photography by Nicholas Thomas
In April, the NSPCC described the shortage of moderators who combat sexual abuse online combined with children spending more time on the Internet at home as a ‘perfect storm’ for abusers who want to take advantage of the pandemic. This grim reality is one that was predicted by experts worldwide when lockdowns began and, although we won’t know the full extent of the impact until much later on, evidence is already emerging to confirm it. Sandra Marchenko from the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children details the factors involved and provides insight into potential actions to keep children safe.
The global disruption being caused by COVID-19 is monumental. A non-wartime event with as far-reaching consequences as this has never before been seen in most people’s lifetimes. People around the world are obliged to follow their government’s guidelines to ‘do their part’ and prevent the further spread of Coronavirus.
Today, one third of the world’s population is in some form of lockdown and UNICEF reports that more than 1.5 billion children have been affected by school closures worldwide. The impact of this is manifold: no childcare for front-line workers, a quick scramble to implement online lessons, reduced physical activity, lack of access to social services protections, and the list goes on. But the most sinister of which is the increased risk of child abuse and exploitation.
The current crisis can be compared to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2013, after which experts underscored that the public health crisis was accompanied by an increase of abuse, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, child labor, and other forms of violence against children. And furthermore, that these secondary impacts of the epidemic were not given the necessary attention.
This time, as lockdown began, national law enforcement agencies, international organizations, and civil society organizations around the world immediately highlighted the heightened risk and braced for increased reporting to cyber-tiplines and safeguarding hotlines.
With children out of school for an extended period, they have more screen time, increased access to new technologies (which may not be age appropriate), greater chance for exposure to harmful content, and less supervision by parents who are working from home while looking after them. All of which puts them at greater risk of online grooming, sexual coercion/extortion, sexual exploitation, and cyber-bullying.
Trusted adults, like teachers, are often the first to identify signs of abuse and are those to whom children disclose abuse. But in lockdown, the usual safety net provided by teachers, guidance counsellors, school nurses (and other mandated reporters), and the school space itself, disappears. Unfortunately, it seems the experts were right: increases in reporting and the number of cases worldwide have already been documented. There have been reports of a surge of suspected child abuse cases around the U.S.; in Kerala, India, the Countering Child Sexual Exploitation (CCSE) team has reported an increase in online activity of offenders in cyberspace; in the Philippines, there has been a documented increase in the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM); Spain has noted a significant increase in the number of complaints submitted by the public about CSAM since early March; and Denmark has seen a three-fold increase per week in the number of attempts to access illegal websites containing CSAM.
Furthermore, Europol, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and the Swedish Police Authority have all seen an increase in online exploitation of children since lockdown has begun. Offenders are using the same online platforms that many of us use to stay in contact with friends and family to commit crimes against children.
And with more adults confined at home, there has been a spike in the supply of and demand for CSAM. Globally, law enforcement has reportedly seen an increase of about 10% of CSAM on file-sharing applications since the pandemic began.
But the risk isn’t only online; in some cases, children are now confined to the same homes as their abusers. Bolivia has reported a daily average of 48 cases of violence against children including sexual assault and rape since the lockdown began. Kenya has also seen a significant spike in sexual offences against children across the country as of the end of March. More than 92,000 calls seeking protection from abuse were received by the Childline India helpline in just 11 days – confirmation that the lockdown has, “turned into extended captivity… for children trapped with their abusers at home.”
Additionally, many child-protective organisations are experiencing the strain of having fewer employees available and are unable to conduct home visits. In the UK, this has led to cross-party MPs calling for extra funding to ensure these organisations, such as ChildLine and the NSPCC, can continue to operate.
According to Human Rights Watch, “the risks posed by the COVID-19 crisis to children are enormous. Governments need to act urgently to protect children during the pandemic, but also to consider how their decisions now will best uphold children’s rights after the crisis ends.” The full impact of the pandemic on violence against children is not yet known. Much of what we know is anecdotal; there is little data available. So, what can be done to minimise the impact in the short-term and plan for the future?
UNICEF and partners published a Technical Note recommending specific actions for governments, technology industry and social network platforms, schools, and parents. It details multidisciplinary advocacy efforts, cross-sector collaboration, education, training, and online safeguarding measures.
Research into the specific effects of COVID-19 on child abuse, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and other forms of violence is needed. Governments must designate funds for national health agencies to investigate the impacts further. The Council of Europe’s Lanzarote Committee recommends that State Parties (to the Lanzarote Convention) make sure adequate human resources and equipment are available, “[a]s the COVID-19 pandemic is also impacting the capacity of these services to respond to the increasing demands.”
Funding and support must be allocated to make sure reporting mechanisms, referral systems, and child protective services are available. Technology companies must do more to monitor their platforms for illegal content and abusive behaviour to protect their users. Parents should discuss and monitor the use of digital platforms with their children, make them aware of the risks online and how to protect themselves, and inform them of the tools available to help keep them safe.
Ultimately, every person has a role to play in helping protect children around the world – and protecting our children and their rights should be at the top of our priority list now more than ever.
Sandra Marchenko
Sandra Marchenko is the Vice President of Policy & Research for the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC). She is also Director of The Koons Family Institute on International Law & Policy, ICMEC’s research arm. Since 2009, she has worked with ICMEC to support and promote ICMEC’s mission to make the world safer for children by eradicating child abduction, sexual abuse, and exploitation. Prior to joining ICMEC, she worked for the Fairfax Bar Association as well as the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) in both Rostov-na-Donu, Russia and Washington, D.C. Sandra holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature with a minor in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. and is licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is fluent in Russian.
For more information, visit www.icmec.org.
We also have two pages with resources related to the issue COVID-19.icmec.org and specifically for Educators – http://covid.icmec. org.