WASHINGTON, DC (November 3, 2023) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), along with over 250 advocates, called on Congress to pass solutions to prevent online sexual exploitation at a Capitol Hill briefing, Child Sexual Abuse, Sex Trafficking, and the Pornography Industry: Toxic Online Criminality, and during meetings with Congressional offices last week.
Advocates called on Congress to pass measures like the Kids Online Safety Act, EARN IT Act, Project Safe Childhood Act, SHIELD Act, REPORT Act, STOP CSAM Act, among others.
A panel of lived-experience and policy specialists provided a comprehensive Congressional briefing on the issues of online child sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), pornography and image-based sexual abuse, and sex trafficking online, and excerpts from the briefing are included below.
Regarding child exploitation on technology platforms:
Lisa Haba, Partner, The Haba Law Firm: “We are here today because CDA 230 has been interpreted by the courts and that interpretation has gone down a dangerous path. CDA 230 has now allowed internet companies to take advantage of the most vulnerable in our society.”
Marion Kendall, CEO, LifeWay Network & Co-Chair, New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition: “Predators sometimes have the best assessment skills in order to lure, to gain the trust of vulnerable children.”
Dawn Hawkins, CEO, National Center on Sexual Exploitation: “When it comes to our children, every pixel, every line of code, and every interaction should scream safety first. It’s not just about digital innovation it’s about moral obligation. Before we leap into the next technological frontier, we have to ensure we are not leaving our children’s safety behind.”
Teresa Helm, Survivor Services Coordinator, National Center on Sexual Exploitation: “As we have heard, these tech companies are exploiting both people and some glaring legal loopholes: although it is a legal obligation for digital platforms to report CSAM to NCMEC, there is no legal obligation for these companies to look for it.”
Regarding exposing and combatting open online sex trafficking:
Yiota Souras, Chief Legal Officer, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: “This year, we are receiving an average of 100,000 reports [of CSAM] every day. These numbers are staggering. Behind every report is a child who is being enticed, sextorted, sexually exploited, or revictimized. Children are being exploited online much more quickly than Congress can pass laws to protect them.”
Tayna Gould, Director, Virginia Office of the Attorney General: “Historically, it’s been easier to let the sexual exploitation of minors slide. It’s messy, hard to deal with. But we must face the reality of how it is affecting our communities and society today. The fact that children are sold, and sought after, bought and sold, in America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, is a brutal reality. That land of the free, not so much, home of the brave, definitely, but not the bravery that was intended. I call in our leaders to hold buyers and traffickers of human beings accountable.”
Marcel van der Watt, Director, Research Institute, National Center on Sexual Exploitation: “We must confront the role of sex-buyers in fueling sex-trafficking crimes and creating an endless cycle of harm and misery. Radically shrinking, with a view to eliminating sex-trafficking crimes, is not a pipe dream. It can be done.”
Rachel Moran, Director of Policy and Advocacy, International Centre on Sexual Exploitation: “It’s the demand for commercial sex that fuels the sex trafficking market.”
Regarding exploitation and injustice in mainstream pornography:
Aaron Crowley, Survivor, Author, & Pastor: “There must be common sense protection to prevent children from accessing this material [pornography]. Human dignity is something worth honoring and protecting.”
Arden Young, Investigative Journalist, Sound Investigations: “Our investigations thus far have revealed that Pornhub does not properly verify age or consent of videos uploaded to their platforms. Rapists and human traffickers use Pornhub to upload illegal videos. We believe our findings call for the appropriate agency to launch a full criminal investigation into Aylo.”
Haley McNamara, Vice President, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, and Director, International Centre on Sexual Exploitation: “Image based sexual abuse is not a problem for others, it is our problem. And now is a vital time in history to put the responsibility on technology companies to prevent the creation and distribution of sexual exploitation.”
Christen Price, Senior Legal Counsel, National Center on Sexual Exploitation: “Liability is a bedrock American concept. With no liability risk, Big Tech gets special treatment, and simply ignores the harm causes by its products and services. This is an abnormal situation. So Congress needs to act.”
Congress must consider these sobering facts:
- In 2022, NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 32 million reports of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM, aka child pornography).
- Online pornography today is rife with CSAM, rape, sexual assault, non-consensual material, racism, and incest themes.
- In an instant, anyone can become a victim of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA)—whether non-consensual, sexually explicit content is uploaded; or self-created images are misused; or someone is targeted for “deepfake” creation or hidden camera capture.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
