Policy paper

Annex 2: protecting against online exploitation, violence and abuse (accessible version)

Updated 24 December 2021

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

• Principles to tackle online violence against women and girls
• Action plan to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse

Introduction

1. Technology and the internet have increased the availability of information, speed of communication and accessibility of public services. However, this rapid technological change has also brought with it new and evolving threats that transcend national boundaries.

2. Offenders are exploiting new technologies and the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic to sexually abuse and exploit children and perpetrate gender-based violence. The need for action on these issues is acute and the G7 recognise this should be prioritised as part of the COVID-19 recovery.

3. Women and girls are disproportionately targeted by online gender-based violence, harassment and abuse. All children are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, with evidence suggesting that girls are disproportionately impacted, and boys are under-identified.

4. We commit to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, both offline and online, to protect children from illegal and harmful content and to protect all persons, including women, from gender-based violence, whilst protecting freedom of expression, privacy and data protection.

Online violence against women and girls

5. We recognise the international progress to stem the tide of gender-based violence, and specifically violence against women and girls. Nevertheless, more needs to be done to make significant progress towards meeting national and global commitments.

6. We embrace the commitments outlined in the G7 Roadmap for a Gender-Responsive Economic Environment (2017); the Charlevoix Commitment to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Abuse and Harassment in a Digital Context (2018); and the Declaration on Gender Equality (2019). We welcome the progress made during the course of this G7 Presidency. Leaders confirmed the need to tackle existing and emerging online forms of gender-based violence, and the recommendations of the Gender Equality Advisory Council 2021 to the Leaders of the G7, specifically recommendation 12 ‘action to tackle online harassment and abuse of women and girls’.

Principles for tackling online violence against women and girls

7. We recognise that technology companies’ platforms and services should not be misused for the perpetration of violence, harassment and abuse, particularly where this disproportionately affects women and girls.

8. We commit to building understanding and sharing research and information into the range of behaviours that constitute online violence, harassment and abuse, and the people that carry out such behaviours, particularly those which disproportionately impact women and girls. We will share evidence-based practice in addressing such behaviours or reducing the harms they cause.

9. We recognise the importance of holding perpetrators to account for illegal action perpetrated online.

10. We will seek to coordinate and share insights into the nature, scale and cost of the harms caused by emerging online behaviours and technologies that disproportionately affect women and girls. A more detailed understanding of the harms will allow resources to be directed more effectively and create the impetus for change.

11. We will support the non-governmental violence against women and girls prevention sector (and particularly civil society organisations) in responding to online violence, harassment and abuse, which disproportionately impacts women and girls.

Encouraging industry to play its part

We call on technology companies to:

12. Collaborate and engage with governments, including G7 members, and civil society stakeholders to understand, prevent, and address online gender-based violence, harassment, and abuse.

13. Innovate or support innovation in technologies that can reduce violence, harassment and abuse targeting women and girls and improve user safety.

14. Expand voluntary transparency reporting on specific efforts to address online violence, harassment, and abuse, including data pertaining to victim and survivor reports, while taking into account the safety and privacy of those individuals.

15. In line with the responsibility of businesses outlined in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, respect the rights and freedoms of all users and consumers, including the freedom of users to express themselves freely and engage in debate on challenging subjects, and privacy rights.

Child sexual exploitation and abuse

16. We will continue to engage via a G7 working group to deliver on the following commitments.

Action plan to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse

a. Encouraging industry to play its part

17. We commit to continue to encourage industry to enhance efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse, as set out in the international Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, by collectively calling on companies to endorse the Voluntary Principles and implement them in a meaningful and transparent way.

18. We commit to work collaboratively with non-governmental organisations, civil society and other experts to improve collective understanding of companies’ progress implementing the Voluntary Principles, relative to the threat.

19. We commit to develop a plan for coordinated engagement with industry, especially companies with an international reach, to encourage the integration of public safety into the design and implementation of their services so these do not compromise on children’s safety.

20. We issue a joint call for innovation to advance the solutions available that allow companies to identify and report child sexual exploitation and abuse alongside end-to-end encryption, recognising that there may be a range of funds, or individual country initiatives, working towards achieving this common purpose.

b. Strengthening domestic regimes

21. We recognise the need for countries to strengthen domestic regimes and take particular responsibility for reaching out to companies over which they have jurisdiction, whilst acknowledging that the multi-national footprint of many companies can impact on investigations and requires a concerted global effort.

22. We commit to ongoing engagement to share and learn from respective strategies and regulatory approaches, between the G7 and more widely, to encourage the adoption of robust systems that protect children and promote transparency and accountability.

23. We commit to having a collaborative international approach to reporting of online child sexual exploitation and abuse by companies, and welcome close working and sharing of good practice between existing and nascent organisations that receive reports of online child sexual exploitation and abuse across the G7.

c. Strengthening law enforcement cooperation

24. We commit to further strengthen working level law enforcement cooperation and information sharing across G7 nations, making effective use of the communication channels with INTERPOL and EUROPOL to prevent these crimes and bring offenders to justice, on issues including:

• the role artificial intelligence can play in law enforcement investigations
• tackling hosting of child sexual abuse material on online servers and the growing phenomenon of livestreaming of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and
• working more effectively with INTERPOL and EUROPOL, including supporting shared databases including International Child Sexual Exploitation image and video database at INTERPOL and committing to effective and appropriate use of Green Notices and Diffusions (G7 Interior & Security Track INTERPOL commitments)

d. Strengthening protections for children around the world

25. We commit to work together to maximise the collective impact of the G7 in protecting children around the world from child sexual exploitation and abuse, recognising the inherently transnational nature of this crime, and offenders’ exploitation of growing global internet access to target children. We will help to support delivery of UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.2, to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children, through initiatives such as:

• engagement with and promotion of membership of the WePROTECT Global Alliance, and
• investment in and support for the Global Partnership and Fund to End Violence Against Children