Child Protection News: Latest Updates
- Nobel Laureate: Tens of millions of children worldwide at risk of exploitation, forced labor during pandemic (Washington Post, 13 October 2020)
- INTERPOL report highlights impact of COVID-19 on child sexual abuse (INTERPOL, 7 September 2020)
- Sexual offences against children in Scotland increase by almost a third (The Courier, 10 August 2020)
- Human Trafficking Cases in Children, Adults May Increase Post COVID-19 Lockdown, Fear NGOs (India.com, 29 July 2020)
- Australia’s Coronavirus Outbreak Raises Alarm Over Online Child Sexual Abuse (Reuters, 21 July 2020)
- COVID: Increase in Child Protection Concerns (Business Ghana, 21 July 2020)
- A 1,500% SURGE in child abuse and it’s probably under-counted: the brutal, hidden cost of lockdown that should alarm the world (RT, 3 July 2020)
- Pandemic Causing Child Marriage to Spike (The ASEAN Post, 25 June 2020)
- ‘The horse has bolted on this’: Online child exploitation increases during health crisis (The Irish Times, 17 June 2020)
- Girls at greatest risk as COVID-19 threatens to leave a generation of African children behind (Relief Web; Plan International, 16 June 2020)
- Children worst hit by the COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda (New Vision, 15 June 2020)
- Online child abuse rising during lockdown warn police (BBC News, 28 May 2020)
- Child abuse predator ‘handbook’ lists ways to target children during coronavirus lockdown (The Guardian, 13 May 2020)
- Online Child Abuse Complaints Surpass 4 million in April. This Is How Cops Are Coping Despite COVID-19 (Forbes, 9 May 2020)
- COVID-19 crisis putting human trafficking victims at risk of further exploitation, experts warn (UN News, 6 May 2020)
- INTERPOL launches Virtual Academy to support police learning during COVID 19 (INTERPOL, 29 Apr 2020)
- Online child abuse flourishes as investigators struggle with workload during pandemic (The Telegraph, 27 Apr 2020)
- Child Sexual Abuse Reports Are On The Rise Amid Lockdown Orders (NPR, 28 Apr 2020)
- Lockdown hampering removal of child sexual abuse material online (The Guardian, 26 Apr 2020)
- What Happens to the Consumption of Child Sexual Abuse Material When Millions of People Work from Home? (NetClean, 17 Apr 2020)
- MPs call for action over expected rise in child sexual abuse during pandemic (The Guardian, 16 Apr 2020)
- António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children (UNICEF, 16 Apr 2020)
- Indians are Watching A Disturbing Amount of Child Porn During Coronavirus Lockdown (Vice, 14 Apr 2020)
- Children Will Be More Vulnerable to Trafficking After COVID-19 (The Wire, 13 Apr 2020)
- Coronavirus lockdown – Govt. helpline receives 92,000 calls on child abuse and violence in 11 days (The Hindu, 8 Apr 2020)
- Child Sex Abuse Livestreams Increase During Coronavirus Lockdowns (NPR, 8 Apr 2020)
- UN backs global action to end violence against women and girls amid COVID-19 crisis (UN News, 6 Apr 2020)
- Preventing crime and protecting police: COVID-19 global threat assessment (INTERPOL, 6 Apr 2020)
- UK National Crime Agency report highlights risks to children during crisis (Guardian, 02 Apr 2020)
- Increase in online sexual abuse during pandemic reported by Europol (EdX, 02 Apr 2020)
- Trauma-informed approach to teaching during Coronavirus (Washington Post, 26 Mar 2020)
- School Closings Due to COVID-19 Present Potential for Increased Risk of Child Exploitation (FBI, 23 Mar 2020)
- Child protection concerns during COVID-19 (National Press, 20 Mar 2020)
- Children may be at greater risk of grooming during coronavirus pandemic as IWF braces for spike in public reports (IWF, 20 Mar 2020)
Guidance/Toolkits/Reports
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Rights – Defence for Children International
- ASEAN pushes to mitigate COVID-19 impacts on vulnerable groups (15 Jun 2020) – ASEAN
- Protecting and empowering children during the Covid-19 pandemic – Council of Europe
- Protecting Children During the COVID-19 Outbreak – End Violence Against Children
- Exploiting Isolation: Offenders and Victims of Online Child Sexual Abuse During the COVID-19 Pandemic (19 June 2020) – Europol
- Catching the virus cybercrime, disinformation and the COVID-19 pandemic – Europol
- COVID-19 Toolkit – Hague Conference on Private International Law
- ISPCAN’s Recommendations on COVID-19 – International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect
- Threats and Trends: Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse – COVID-19 Impact (September 2020) – INTERPOL
- Global Reporting Mechanisms – ICMEC Reporting & Support
- Role of Mandatory Reporters – ICMEC Prevention
- My Hero is You, Storybook for Children on COVID-19 – IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (multiple languages)
- In the response to COVID-19, children are key and part of the solution – ITU News
- COVID-19: An Online Safety Kit for Parents and Carers – Office of the eSafety Commissioner (Australia)
- Live Streaming Online Student Lesson with Video – ThinkUKnow.co.uk
- Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Children – UN
- UN Agenda for Action: 8 United Nations Entities launch roadmap to protect children from violence in response to COVID-19 – UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children;
- see also, InterAgency Working Group on Violence Against Children: Agenda for Action (International Telecommunication Union)
- Protecting the Most Vulnerable Children from the Impact of Coronavirus: An Agenda for Action – UNICEF
- Protection of children during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: Technical Note – UNICEF/Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – UNODC updates – UNODC
- Impact of COVID-19 on Online Child Sexual Exploitation – WePROTECT Global Alliance Intelligence Brief
- Joint Leaders’ Statement – Violence Against Children: A Hidden Crisis of the COVID-19 Pandemic – World Health Organization
Regional Response and Additional Languages:
- Barnardo’s to lead charity coalition to support vulnerable children (UKFundraising, 8 June 2020)
- European Safer Internet Centre resources in response to COVID-19 (Better Internet For Kids Europe)
- COVID-19 – Webinars for Parents and Carers (Australian Government, eSafety Commissioner)
- COVID-19 Global Online Safety Advice for Parents and Carers (booklet – Australian Ed. & International Ed.) (Australian eSafety Commissioner)
- Asumamos el miedo…evitemos el pánico – COVID 19, la niñez y las responsabilidades adultas (IIN/OEA)
- CHS Alternativo Online Safety Videos (Spanish)
ICMEC Videos & Webinars:
- ICMEC Webinars
- Orientações à famílias e pais durante a Pandemia do COVID (Portuguese) (ICMEC)
- Orientaciones a las familias y padres durante la Pandemia del COVID (Spanish) (ICMEC)
- Short answers for youth-serving professionals to five child protection questions (ICMEC)
- Introduction to child protection during the pandemic
- Question 1 – What should we watch for?
- Question 2 – Who is vulnerable at this time?
- Question 3 – How can I support colleagues and parents?
- Question 4 – What reporting and response options are available?
- Question 5 – What resources are useful right now?
- Webinars for Professionals on Child Protection Topics (Safeguarding Events)