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Child Sexual Abuse and the Internet—A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Child sexual abuse is a growing social concern. Today, online communication chiefly facilitates access to vulnerable children and increases cases of child sexual abuse. The current article also aims to highlight digital platforms’ role in prevailing online child sexual abuse worldwide. The researchers conducted a Systematic Review of existing literature and selected a sample of n = 42 articles witnessing the Internet's role in facilitating child sexual abuse. The cited literature indicated that online child sexual abuse widely involves child pornography for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Several online platforms provide scheduled online child sexual abuse sessions that are mostly unidentifiable for law enforcement agencies. Similarly, for non-commercial purposes, predators use different strategies and fulfill their objectives. These predators not only entice children, but also continue extorting the victims. Although the online child sexual abuse method may vary from person to person, the purpose is the same for all. In this regard, the current study gives practical recommendations to mitigate online child sexual exploitation in a better possible manner. Especially in developing countries, counteracting against online child sexual abuse to alleviate the deliberate online exploitation can remarkably decrease children’s rights violation.

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Acknowledgements

We dedicate this paper to those children facing exploitation, but their voices are unheard.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Sana Ali

  2. Université Saint- Joseph de Beyrouth, Beirut, Lebanon

    Hiba Abou Haykal

  3. Ajman University, Ajman UAE, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Enaam Youssef Mohammed Youssef

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  1. Sana Ali
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  2. Hiba Abou Haykal
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  3. Enaam Youssef Mohammed Youssef
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Correspondence to Sana Ali.

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Ali, S., Haykal, H.A. & Youssef, E. Child Sexual Abuse and the Internet—A Systematic Review. Hu Arenas 6, 404–421 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-021-00228-9

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