As SA marks 16 Days of Activism, we must remember the battle against gender-based violence and child abuse is waged not only in the home but also online.
Social media can seem far removed from the real world, but the content consumed and learnt there affects behaviours beyond the screen. The anonymity often creates cesspools where degrading and damaging material circulates and the most vulnerable are exploited.
Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and many others have a duty to protect young users from exploitation, with governments and regulators providing oversight. While there are many successes, the war against child sexual exploitation is far from won.
The aftermath of SA-born entrepreneur Elon Musk’s turbulent purchase of Twitter has seen mass resignations and vital teams reduced.
While users have been quick to share copyrighted material while the “Twitter police” operate with a skeleton staff, reports that there remain fewer than 10 specialists experienced in reviewing and escalating reports of child sexual exploitation on the platform are alarming
While Twitter’s battles have been laid bare, there have been reports of sexual exploitation being shared on other social media sites as recent as a few weeks ago.
Forbes last month published an exposé lifting the curtain on “TikTok accounts hiding child sexual abuse material in plain sight”, while a local study found children in SA are most likely to experience online sexual exploitation on Facebook and WhatsApp.
The Disturbing Harm in SA study, which relies on self-reporting, recorded that 65% of online abuse occurs on Facebook or Facebook Messenger and 27% on WhatsApp. It also found between 7%-9% of children between nine and 17 have experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse. This number could be much higher due to underreporting.
Recent crime statistics for the July-September period indicate 1,895 reports of child assault with grievous bodily harm. There were 4,375 arrests for crimes against women and children, and 410 for rape, with 68 of these resulting in life terms.
These statistics paint a disturbing picture of a country failing to protect its future generations both on and offline.
While often the perpetrator of abuse in the home or community is someone the child knows, that is not true online, where abusers are often complete strangers.
The trauma of such abuse is no less real or devastating.
16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children is a worldwide campaign that runs from November 25 to December 10–16, during which gender-based violence and abuse are thrown into the spotlight.
Every year, horror tales of abuse are told, and exploitation continues unabated.
This year the first days of the campaign coincided with global outrage against luxury fashion house Balenciaga for allegedly promoting child abuse in its adverts. The offending ads showed children holding teddy bears in bondage gear and documents about child sexual abuse law as a prop.
The brand apologised and admitted to “a series of grievous errors”, but the incident again shows the safeguards of society meant to protect our children are too often broken or simply discarded.
Every year commitments are made to do better.
But all resolutions and the best-laid plans are for naught if we fail to protect our children online and teams tasked to identify such abuse are gutted.
Some critics have argued Twitter’s reduction of vital staff and the Balenciaga adverts were motivated by profit at all costs. But no matter the reasons, morals cannot be traded for money, and child exploitation leaves society morally bankrupt.
A multipronged response from social media networks, governments and within the home is needed to protect children from harm online.
Networks should increase teams assigned to stop harm and prevent minors from accessing features that are potentially harmful. Governments should be monitoring the actions of networks and prioritising legislation to safeguard the most vulnerable they are meant to protect.
Parents and communities should educate their children about online safety and predatory behaviour in an age-appropriate way. They should monitor their child’s use of social media and introduce their own measures in the home to protect them.
The spotlight may be on the battle against abuse for 16 days, but the war against child exploitation is one that does not expire.
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