Evidence on technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse
11% of children aged 12 to 17 who use the internet have experienced some form of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse facilitated by digital technologies
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Highlights
The Disrupting Harm report on online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Montenegro shows that 11 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 who use the internet have experienced some form of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse facilitated by digital technologies. The report presents the study’s key findings and recommendations for strengthening prevention, child protection and the systemic response, with a particular focus on the legislative framework, digital literacy and child-friendly reporting mechanisms.
The research was conducted by UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, ECPAT International and INTERPOL, with financial support from Safe Online and in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro. The Montenegro study forms part of a global research initiative carried out in 25 countries across six regions of the world.
The report highlights the need to strengthen the legislative framework, as well as prevention and child protection systems, improve media, digital and AI literacy within families, and develop child-friendly reporting mechanisms. It also offers concrete recommendations for creating a safer online environment and ensuring a stronger institutional response to the sexual exploitation and abuse of children facilitated by digital technologies.
The findings are based on research conducted between 2023 and 2025 on a nationally representative sample of 1,039 children aged 12 to 17 and 1,039 of their parents or caregivers. The report also draws on interviews with young people who experienced sexual exploitation or abuse facilitated by digital technologies when they were children, as well as with professionals from a range of backgrounds, representatives of the judiciary and the police, and an analysis of the relevant laws and policies.
