Disrupting Harm
Project | Generating high-quality evidence on technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse of children
The Disrupting Harm project was established in 2019 to generate high-quality evidence on technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse of children. It is a research project funded by Safe Online. The research is conducted jointly by UNICEF Innoncenti, ECPAT International and INTERPOL.
Digital technologies offer unique opportunities to realize children's rights and address inequalities. But they also introduce risks that must be understood and addressed to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for children and young people around the world. One risk that urgently needs to be addressed is the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, including through the use of digital technologies.
There was a lack of evidence about these forms of violence against children. Together with ECPAT International and INTERPOL, UNICEF Innocenti developed a new research methodology to study when and how digital technology facilitates the sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
We speak to a variety of rights holders and duty bearers including children, survivors of abuse, parents, law enforcement officials, justice professionals, and frontline workers. By understanding multiple perspectives and experiences, we are able to better understand this complex issue and identify priority areas for interventions by governments and other child's rights organizations. In particular, the project places importance on speaking to children and those with lived experience to help guide the way towards a safer world for children everywhere.
In 2022, the project was completed in 13 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa and Southeast Asia with major successes. The project has already supported the changing of legislation and policy to better protect children and has informed a range of interventions at a national level.
However, our work is far from done. Tech-facilitated sexual violence against children is a crime that knows no borders. Digital technologies continue to evolve, often without enough consideration of their impact on children's rights. The success of the first phase of the project has led to a renewed commitment in 2022 and additional research in 12 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.
By 2025, we will have generated national data in 25 countries across six regions to facilitate a safer world for all children, both online and offline.
Disrupting Harm Research Activities:
- Household survey of children and parents
- Interviews with young survivors
- Interviews with justice professionals
- Interviews with frontline workers
- Interviews with law enforcement officials
- Analysis of national legislation and policies
Partners
