Rome, 11 November 2025 - “Giving children and young people autonomous internet access is like inviting an invisible stranger into your home - only far more dangerous. Unlike a stranger at the door, these threats often go unnoticed because children conceal their online interactions, leaving parents blind to the risks lurking behind the screen”, says Megan Garcia, a mother and advocate, who lost her 14-year-old son to suicide.
Violence against children is no longer confined to physical spaces, but is increasingly tech-driven and amplified by artificial intelligence. The financial toll is staggering: an estimated $7 trillion every year, equivalent to 8% of global GDP. This is not merely a child protection issue. It is a profound development crisis that undermines social stability, economic growth, and human rights.
The internet has evolved into a vast, complex ecosystem where children navigate opportunities and dangers simultaneously. While digital platforms offer education and connectivity, they also expose young users to unprecedented risks, such as cyberbullying, recruitment by armed and criminal groups, exploitation - now accelerated by AI-powered tools that can automate grooming, generate deepfakes and scale abuse at unimaginable speed.
Last week, Alexandra Martins, Team Leader, Ending Violence Against Children, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section (UNODC) joined a high-level conference on “The Dignity of Children and Adolescents in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, led by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and attended by leaders and advocates committed to protecting children in a world being rapidly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Pope Leo XIV shared a clear message: safeguarding children’s dignity cannot rely on policy alone, it is a shared responsibility that demands deep commitment from all sectors of society.
Shared responsibility is not a slogan, it is a mandate. Every sector and every institution has a role to play. From political and religious leaders who shape values and norms; to technology companies that design the platforms that children use; and financial institutions with the power to disrupt illicit flows fuelling exploitation. Each must act decisively to transform principles into measurable action. This is why UNODC is partnering with a diverse range of actors.
Since 2023, UNODC has been deepening its engagement with financial institutions, including banks, credit card companies, payment providers and other entities that facilitate the global transfer of funds, to break the cycle of violence against children perpetrated online.
Earlier this year, UNODC joined hands with Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration and Jess Phillips, UK Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, to shed light on the global pandemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse at a high-level event held at the European Parliament in Brussels.
In North-East Nigeria, a region affected by years of insurgency and the phenomenon of child recruitment by terrorist and violent extremist groups, UNODC has engaged with religious leaders from all backgrounds, seeking the most meaningful ways to shape alternative narratives that uplift and protect children. Imams and Pastors have weaved faith-based messages of children’s rights into their sermons, reminding their communities that every child deserves dignity and safety.
Last week, UNODC reinforced its partnership with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, by recognizing his leadership and seeking his support to raise awareness on the issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse, online and offline, and the urgency of establishing a digital and physical environment where children can thrive and which prioritizes their safety, dignity and well-being.
Background
UNODC is mandated to support Member States in their efforts to protect children from crime and violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse online and offline. To address these issues, the Office, together with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children (OSRSG VAC), has developed a Strategy to End Violence Against Children (2023-2030). The Strategy addresses four critical contexts in which children are more vulnerable: insecurity, justice systems, cyberspace and being on the move. UNODC’s mandate was reinforced in 2023 with the adoption of the UN GA resolution 77/233, by which UNODC was asked to support efforts in “strengthening national and international efforts to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse online and offline”.
In 2023, UNODC, in partnership with the UK, convened an Expert Group Meeting to discuss the phenomenon of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and actions to remove CSAM from the internet and prevent its reuploading. This event led to 75 Member States joining and releasing a Call to Action to remove CSAM.
The new UN Convention against Cybercrime, adopted by the General Assembly on 24 December 2024 and signed by 72 UN Member States in October 2025, is the first global treaty on cybercrime, and the first international treaty to recognise the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images as an offence – a significant victory for victims of online abuse. The Convention will enter into force 90 days after the 40th State deposits its ratification.
