EU Urged to Act as Child Sexual Abuse Material Rises Sharply Across Member States

Report By Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

Alarming new figures from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reveal a significant increase in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) hosted on websites based in European Union countries, with experts urging immediate legislative action to combat the growing crisis.

According to the IWF’s 2024 annual report, 62% of all CSAM webpages identified globally were hosted in the EU, with the Netherlands accounting for the highest number—over 83,000 URLs linked to illegal content. Other countries including Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, and Poland also saw notable spikes in hosted material.

The IWF confirmed over 291,000 reports of CSAM last year, marking a record high. Each report potentially contained dozens to thousands of images or videos depicting sexual abuse of children.

EU Hosting and Global Demand

The report highlights that children aged 7 to 13, particularly young girls, were most frequently targeted—girls were four times more likely to appear in CSAM than boys. A disturbing 39% of the material involved AI-generated content showing the most extreme forms of abuse.

While Europe is increasingly hosting illegal content, demand remains high from countries including the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, according to global child protection experts. Some perpetrators reportedly pay as little as €17 to access or participate in online child abuse.

Tech Industry Accountability

The Tech Coalition, comprising over 40 platforms including Meta, Discord, and Nintendo, identified more than 7,000 CSAM incidents in 2024 using tools like image and video hashing. However, critics argue the industry’s current response is insufficient.

“Tech companies must be held accountable for detecting and removing this material swiftly and effectively,” said Lori Cohen, CEO of PACT.
“They must now make a concerted effort to implement proactive safety measures.”

Urgency for EU Legislation

The European Commission’s proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation and Directive, introduced in February 2024, seeks to strengthen detection, criminalize AI-generated CSAM, and impose harsher penalties. Yet, debates continue in the European Parliament and Council over data privacy and digital rights.

“We need this regulation adopted without delay,” said Ray-Hill.

Child rights organizations across Europe continue to demand swift adoption of new EU laws to ensure stricter monitoring, faster removal of harmful content, and protection of children’s rights online.