Think before you speak: Why the misuse of language is a child protection issue

In 2021, global technology companies reported more than 29 million suspected instances of sexual images of children on their platforms, amounting to 85 million images and videos of child sexual abuse. On top of this, earlier this year, the Internet Watch Foundation revealed that since 2019, the number of webpages showing sexual abuse images and videos of children aged 7-10 has increased by 1058 per cent.  

We know that child sexual abuse is preventable, not inevitable. And that to effectively tackle it –  we must take many different approaches. Law enforcement, of course, is a vital part of the solution – in fact, the police response in the UK is seen as one of the most effective in the world. But we also know that law enforcement alone is not, and will not be the whole answer. As with all forms of sexual abuse – against adults or children, online or offline – the scale of abuse tells us we need a holistic approach; an approach that tackles the problem from all sides and at all stages.