Disrupting Harm is a large-scale data collection and research project to better understand online child sexual exploitation and abuse across the world. This study is assessing the scale, nature and context of this issue in 14 countries across Southern and Eastern Africa and Southeast Asia.

With support from the Fund, the UNICEF Child Protection Programme Division is working with a wide range of partners at the national, regional and global levels with support of UNICEF country offices. Together, these actors are working to end online child sexual exploitation and abuse in 34 target countries in seven regions. The project’s goals include:

With support from the Fund, the Internet Watch Foundation is progressing its mission to eliminate child sexual abuse from the internet by working in 30 countries – the majority of which are in Africa – to implement web-based portals for citizens to report online child sexual abuse content and make the Internet a safer place for children and adults around the world.

The Council of Europe is using support from the Fund to promote, facilitate and support national efforts to prevent and fight against online child exploitation and abuse. Though the project covers all 47 Council of Europe member states, target activities are ongoing in 10 focus countries, including Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. To end online violence against children, the project is:

UNICEF’s East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) is using support from the Fund to prevent and end online violence throughout the region. To do so, the office is:

The South Asian Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) used the support from the Fund to end online child exploitation and abuse in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A regional strategy on addressing this issue has been prepared and is now ready for political endorsement.

UNICEF Albania is using support from the Fund to end violence against children online on multiple levels. To reach children, the agency is training children to become peer educators on online violence, increasing their knowledge on safe Internet navigation and helping them spread that information to their peers. UNICEF Albania conducted research on children’s use of the Internet and risk of online violence using the Global Kids Online methodology.

UNICEF Jordan is using support from the Fund to improve services for children and families experiencing online child sexual exploitation and abuse. To do so, the agency is building national capacity through the Prevention of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children Unit, which sits under the Family Protection Department Public Security Directorate. This unit is mandated to identify and handle cases of online sexual exploitation of children and has seen 146 of these cases proceed to trial.

With support from the Fund, the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution is raising awareness about online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Palestine. By holding workshops for children, parents, school counselors, teachers, law enforcement agencies and child protection organisations, the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution is boosting understanding of the issue for all those affected and increasing agencies’ ability to respond to such cases when they occur.