Indicator 1: Global prevalence of online victimisation
Indicator 1 is an indicator for online child sexual victimisation. It measures the global prevalence of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) - more specifically, it provides estimates for the number of victims under the age of 18 who have experienced different forms of OCSEA globally, expressed as a percentage of the population.
The forms of OCSEA measured are as follows:
- Online solicitation covers a range of unwanted/pressured sexual interactions, including sexual inquiries via cell phone or internet, as well as long-lasting sexual conversations that can lead to exchange of sexual pictures or videos.
- Image-based abuse includes all non-consensual taking and/or sharing of sexual images/videos of a child as well as unwanted exposure of a child to pornographic materials."
- Sexual exploitation refers to sexual acts in exchange for the child or young person's unmet needs, via the provision of monetary or non-monetary resources.
- Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video of a child unless the victim gives in to their demands (e.g., money, additional pictures, or other sexual activities).
Although a growing body of evidence on both offline and online child sexual exploitation and abuse is published and widely disseminated, estimating the prevalence of these forms of abuse remains extremely challenging due to their 'hidden' nature and the fragmentation of the associated data. Therefore, in order to better understand the risks that children are facing in the online environment, it is crucial to estimate the scale of victimisation and establish a more precise and uniform typology around OCSEA.
Indicator 1 is based on a comprehensive systematic review conducted in six UN languages, a supplementary review on prevalence estimation methods, a scoping review on both victim- and perpetrator-centric studies on OCSEA; and a meta-analysis of the findings. By analysing and synthesising the existing literature on technology-facilitated and online child sexual abuse, these reviews provide crucial evidence that complement the current knowledge of OCSEA by highlighting what is and is not known currently, and inform policy-making and practice regarding the prevention and intervention for OCSEA.
At present, the majority of information about OCSEA victimisation is based on the data from a variety of surveys, which report estimates that are representative at the national and subnational level. Although the traditional survey methods appear to be the most common methods of prevalence estimation for OCSEA, they also have their limitations and thus will not capture all victims.
For more details on how the data for indicator 1 was collected and analysed including how sub-types were developed and what behaviors are included, and a reflection on data quality and limitations, please see the technical note.
Suggested citation for indicator 1 data:
Fry, D., Krzeczkowska, A., Anderson, N., Ren, J., McFeeters, A., Lu, M., Vermeulen, I., Jaramillo, K., Marmolejo Lozano, M.P., Savadova, S., Kurdi, Z., Jin, W., Zhang, J., Liu, W., Lu, Y., Shangguan, S., Zhu, Y., Zhu, H., Gong, X., Lio, J., Harker-Roa & Fang, X. Indicator 1: The Prevalence of Online Victimisation. Data from "Into the Light: Childlight's Global Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Index". Edinburgh: Childlight, 2024.
English