Assessing and Understanding the Risk: Sexual Exploitation of Children Online in Nepal

For many children, the Internet and mobile phones are familiar objects, almost constants in their lives and they are able to move with ease and fluidity between the real and the virtual world, sometimes making little distinction between the two. Indeed, many children today are ‘digital natives’ who would probably have difficulty imagining a world without a social media profile and exchanges of messages, photographs or videos online. Moreover, children’s knowledge of new technologies and the ease with which they access and use such technologies often exceed the knowledge and capacity of their parents.

As information and communication technology (ICT) becomes an increasingly important part of our everyday lives as well as that of children, there is also a growing concern regarding the risks and the emergence of new frontiers with respect to sexual exploitation. The traditional understanding of
exploitation requiring the physical presence of a perpetrator is no longer the case. Exploitation can take place in or be facilitated by the virtual world. When protection mechanisms are not in place, one cannot rule out the fact that children using the internet anywhere in the world are directly at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation.

The sexual abuse and exploitation of children involving the use of ICT is not an issue that industrial countries alone have to confront. In fact, the Internet is now becoming readily and rapidly accessible in developing countries such as Nepal, along with the expansion of high speed Internet and the
proliferation of mobile / smart phones. The risks of sexual exploitation of children online in Nepal were identified as a ‘clear and present danger’ in a Situational Assessment of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Nepal, a study conducted by ECPAT Luxembourg and CWIN in 2015.

As you will read, it will become clear to you that Nepal’s response to the sexual exploitation of children online is still at an early stage and at best, inadequate. The sexual exploitation of children online presents new challenges for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and victim service providers. Much needs to be done – whether it is developing effective policies, strengthening legal frameworks or raising the awareness of children and parents. As one of the first international organizations supporting responses to online child sexual exploitation in Nepal, ECPAT Luxembourg will continue to work closely with the government of Nepal and with other key stakeholders to ensure that children remain safe online as ICT becomes accessible throughout Nepal. ECPAT Luxembourg currently has an exciting three year partnership with Voice of Children to combat the sexual exploitation of children online. This partnership aims to raise the awareness of children and key stakeholders, to strengthen the capacity of front line child protection workers and to advocate for improvements in the legal framework as well as to carry out and publish research.

We hope this report will provide some useful insights to all of us working to combat the sexual exploitation of children online in Nepal and elsewhere.

ECPAT Luxembourg

Assessing Risks Report Online Exploitation Final.pdf