National and International Laws Are Failing to Protect Women and Girls from Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse - Yahoo Finance

NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA) of women and girls is increasing at an alarming rate globally, but national and international laws are failing to effectively address the challenge because they are not keeping pace with advancing technology, finds a ground-breaking new report by international women's rights organization Equality Now. Ending Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Women and Girls: A Call for International Standards examines OSEA laws globally and was produced with legal research assistance from TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro bono service.

In light of mounting calls for greater regulation of social media platforms, this timely research gives a global overview of laws surrounding OSEA at international and regional levels, and scrutinizes national laws in India, Kenya, Nigeria, the USA, and UK (England and Wales). Gaps in laws and protections are identified and recommendations provided for the international community, governments, and digital service providers and platforms.

OSEA encompasses online grooming; live-streaming of sexual abuse; child sexual abuse material (CSAM); online sexual coercion and extortion; online sex trafficking; and image-based sexual abuse.

Onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with global expansion of inexpensive, high-speed internet and increased access to smartphones, tablets and laptops, has resulted in unprecedented numbers of people going online, and for longer time periods. This has made it easier to locate, groom, and sexually exploit women and girls with impunity.

Predators are increasingly using social media and online gaming platforms to target potential victims because these platforms offer anonymity and operate under very limited regulation.

Women and girls are particularly vulnerable as offenders take advantage of sex, gender, and structural discrimination, and the true scale of the problem is unknown because many cases go unreported.

source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/national-international-laws-failing-protect-134900279.html

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