2.2 Child sexual abuse

Some of the risks described above can be a precursor to child sexual abuse. Children may receive illegal content, such as child sexual abuse imagery (CSAM), and they could be exposed to predators, leading to grooming and online or offline abuse or exploitation.

Technology has amplified the problem since perpetrators can capture the abuse through digital means (images or videos). A more recent trend has been the commercialisation of child sexual abuse such as through live distant child abuse (LDCA) – also referred to as on-demand child sexual abuse, or cybersex trafficking – where perpetrators can direct abuse in real time. 

The internet – including the darknet – has also amplified the issues, since it provides a relatively easy means of accessing and consuming CSAM. Predators often can explore their inclinations anonymously and find ways of evading law enforcement (which is among the typical behaviour of offenders, as shown in Figure 3). Another major concern, linked mainly to livestreaming, is the difficulty of detecting the live act due to the challenge of intercepting encrypted content. Online spaces accessed by children are also often used by abusers to make contact with their victims.

(Note that ‘child sexual abuse material’ is the preferred terminology when referring to ‘child pornography’).