EU countries urged to have ‘courage’ and push for better laws to protect children at IWF’s Annual Report launch in Brussels

Expert speakers praised the work of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) at its recent annual data launch in Brussels and highlighted the need for a consistent and coordinated EU-wide framework for detecting, reporting and removing child sexual abuse material from the internet.
 
The event brought together members of the tech industry, EU policymakers and child protection organisations to discuss the charity’s 2024 Annual Data & Insights Report which provides a data-driven view of the latest trends in tackling online child sexual abuse.

The report shows that 2024 was the worst year on record for child sexual abuse material online. IWF analysts removed more than 290,000 webpages of child sexual abuse, or links to that content – the most that the IWF has discovered in its 29-year history.

IWF Interim CEO Derek Ray-Hill has previously said that data like this should ‘act as clarion call’ for Member States to urgently move forward with the much-delayed EU child sexual abuse Regulation which was first proposed in 2022.

Speaking at the event, Antonio Labrador Jimenez, from the European Commission's Directorate General of Migration and Home Affairs, underscored the value of the expertise the IWF provides and how its data have been used to inform the EU’s proposed Child Sex Abuse Regulation, which, if adopted, would place legal obligations on tech companies to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse imagery on their platforms and services.
 
He said that a central pillar of the proposed Regulation is the development of an EU Centre which “builds on the work of the IWF” to act as a recipient of child sexual abuse reports and “serve as hub of knowledge for prevention and assistance”.

Fabiola Bas Palomares, Lead Policy and Advocacy Officer for Online Safety at Eurochild, and a partner of the IWF in the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG)*, echoed Mr Labrador Jimenez’s sentiments and highlighted that the delay in reaching an agreement on the Regulation means the EU is failing children and victims (of child sexual abuse).

Ms Palomares said: “We know that the technology exists and platforms have the capacity to engage in meaningful detection of child sexual business material. So the solution is right in front of us and we just need the courage to take it, to take that step forward.”

She called on the EU and member states to stand up for children and survivors and to establish a strong legal framework that combats child sexual abuse in the short and the long term. The risk of not reaching an agreement is otherwise “too high”.

Ms Palomares added: “We must not forget the spirit of this proposal, which is prevention. It's of utmost importance that the robust risk assessment and mitigation process is not only kept in the proposal, but also reinforced, and that we [give] the competent authorities the tools to mandate strong prevention and risk mitigation.”

Further findings from the IWF report show that 62% of all child sexual abuse webpages found by IWF in 2024 were traced to an EU country. Some criminal child sexual abuse sites, especially those created specifically to share imagery for commercial gain, are dynamic and deliberately move their hosting from country to country to avoid removal.
 
In a moving speech at the event, a Senior Internet Content Analyst provided insight into the day-to-day work of the IWF Hotline in which she noted that, “these terrible crimes against children recognise no borders. As well as seeing child victims from all over the globe, in the IWF Hotline we observe how criminal images and videos move from server to server and country to country, sometimes reappearing in one location as soon as we have secured their takedown in another… only an informed and coordinated international response can effectively counter the new techniques and loopholes being identified by these criminals.”

She added: “In an ideal world, my job – our jobs – wouldn’t exist. But as long as they do, know that we are dedicated to doing everything we can to eliminate child sexual abuse imagery from the internet and helping to make the online world a safer place for children.”

A briefing handed out at the event underlined how the IWF is determined to see the establishment of a strong legal framework in the EU so that child sexual abuse imagery can be detected and prevented from being shared further. It emphasised that the EU cannot continue to be a safe haven for perpetrators to freely exchange criminal content.
 
While in Brussels, IWF representatives also met directly with policymakers to discuss the need for the urgent adoption of the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation and the passage of the Child Sexual Abuse Directive.
 
* The IWF is a steering group member of the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG), a coalition of 65+ child rights organisations working internationally to protect children from sexual abuse and violence, both online and offline.