The number of reports of physical sexual abuse of children continues to rise. This is shown by figures in the Sexual Violence against Children Monitor 2020–2024, published today. Reports of online sexual violence, such as grooming, sexual harassment and the sharing and distribution of nude images of minors, also continue to increase. ‘This increase is alarming because it is all too easy to create large numbers of victims online. It is clear that online platforms have a role to play in preventing this, but exactly what that role should involve in practice is not yet entirely clear. We need a comprehensive response to this issue in order to protect children against online sexual violence,’ says Conny Rijken, the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children.
Sharp increase in reports of child sexual abuse material
The police dealt with more than 17,000 reports of sexual violence against children between 2020 and 2024. It is also notable that the number of reports of child sexual abuse material received by the police’s Child Pornography and Child Sex Tourism Unit has risen sharply since 2021. More than 70,000 reports were received in 2024, almost double the number in 2021. Worryingly, the number of minors who are coerced or deceived into creating and sharing such material has likewise risen sharply. Prevalence studies also demonstrate the scale of the problem. Research by the Victim Support Fund, for example, shows that one in two young people aged between 12 and 25 has experienced online sexual abuse and/or online sexual harassment. And that many young people suffer negative effects, both in the short and long term, as a result of what they have experienced online.
More reports to the police, more prosecutions and more cases before the courts
Prevalence studies show that many young people do not tell anyone when they experience sexual abuse or sexual harassment, whether online or offline. Where they do, they often tell someone they know, and only a limited number report the matter to the police or a counsellor. Even so, the Monitor shows an increase in the number of reports made to the police concerning sexual violence against children. These cases are also more frequently prosecuted by the Public Prosecution Service, and more cases of sexual violence are coming before the courts and resulting in convictions. Prison sentences are also becoming longer. Another notable finding is the substantial number of young suspects of sexual violence against children. No fewer than 23% of suspects known to the Public Prosecution Service are minors.
Healthy relationships and sexual development need attention – including online
For children to develop in a positive, healthy and safe way, it is important to talk to them openly and in an age-appropriate way about relationships and sexuality. Children need to learn that their bodies belong to them, that other people must respect their boundaries and that they, in turn, must respect other people’s boundaries. While parents have an important role to play in this regard, these issues also warrant attention in schools. The National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children therefore welcomes the attention given to relationships and sex education in the new core learning objectives for primary education and the lower years of secondary education. However, she strongly urges that online resilience and forms of online sexual violence also be addressed in those objectives. ‘Sexual violence against children is a social problem on an enormous scale. Teach children how to deal with it, both offline and online,’ says the National Rapporteur.