Earlier this week the child abuse prevention helpline Stop It Now! Launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of publishing seemingly innocent photos of minors enjoying the summer online. Stop It Now! Says that 1 in 100 adults in Flanders could find the photos arousing. It adds that both online and offline the sexual abuse of children remains a big issue.
"1 in a 100 think this is hot": new campaign launched to raise awareness of child abuse
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A picture of your kids soaking up the sun on the beach, or a video of your offspring doing battle in a water balloon fight in the garden. Most people find photographs of this nature perfectly innocent. However, for some they are sexually arousing.
This is why the Stop It Now! Helpline has launched the "1 in 100" campaign. The organisation says images of minors could arouse sexual feelings in 1 in 100 adults in Flanders. So it is best not to put summer snapshots of your children on the internet, the organisation warns.
The campaign features AI-generated summer photos of children accompanied by inappropriate (fictional) reactions. In doing so, Stop It Now! aims to raise awareness about the sexual abuse of children.
"The reactions to the summer snapshots are inappropriate, problematic and transgressive, but at the same time not. We need to be aware that sexually inappropriate behaviour towards minors is still a major problem."
"The situation online only serves to make the problem worse. We must therefore do all we can possible to prevent people from crossing the line. This can be achieved through accessible and anonymous help."
According to Stop It Now! 1 in 5 people are confronted with sexually transgressive behaviour before the age of 18.