Addressing Online Sexual Exploitation & Abuse: A Call for International Standards

Equality Now’s legal research on the definition and prosecution of online sexual exploitation and its intersection with digital rights, facilitated by TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono service, confirmed that international and national legal instruments have simply not kept pace.

The prosecution of online sexual exploitation and abuse, and in particular, removal of online sexual exploitation and abuse from online platforms, often comes into tension with digital rights, particularly, freedom of expression and privacy. International standards providing for online sexual exploitation and abuse will not only address the gendered and multi-jurisdictional nature of online sexual exploitation and abuse but will provide certainty when balancing digital rights and online sexual violence and abuse.

Hear from Equality Now and governments, international bodies, civil society and tech speaking to the gendered, technological and legal aspects of online sexual exploitation and abuse, their perspectives on the key findings and recommendations from Equality Now’s Report, and the efficacy of adopting international standards.