EU Agrees to Ban AI Nudifying Tools and AI-Generated CSAM
A reflection on this major step forward
After intense and sustained advocacy by child rights organisations, the European Union agreed last week to ban AI systems that can nudify or are capable of generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The agreement marks an important milestone in recognising the harms posed by AI systems that can generate sexual content, particularly for children and young […]
EVERY CALL MATTERS: Strengthening Child Helplines as a Core Pillar of Child Protection in Africa
Reflection from the 28th Session of the CSO Forum for the ACERWC
Maseru, Lesotho | 13–25 April 2026 At the 28th Session of the CSO Forum for the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), and the 47th Ordinary Session of ACERWC, held from 13–25 April 2026 in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho, a central narrative emerged: the urgent need to reposition […]
Joint Statement on the End of EU Legal Basis to Detect CSA
Europe is switching its detection of child sexual abuse online off BRUSSELS – Because of political gridlock, from 3 April 2026, online service providers in the European Union will no longer be able to detect child sexual abuse material on their platforms. A letter signed by over 245 organisations working to advance children’s rights and […]
We Can Still Turn the Tide on Digital Harms
Yesterday, Meta and YouTube were found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed. The tech companies were found to be negligent and to have failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products. This landmark jury verdict in the United States marks […]
Legal Uncertainty on CSAM Detection: What the EU’s Delay Means for Child Protection
On Monday, EU countries and lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on extending the interim derogation that allows online platforms to voluntarily detect and remove child sexual abuse material. Back when the e-Privacy Regulation was negotiated, EU policy-makers already saw the value of proactive detection to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse online. This […]
Every Call Matters: Why Child Helplines Are Critical for Protecting Children
This week in Geneva, Child Helpline International (CHI) co-hosted a side event at the UN Human Rights Council with the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the United Nations in Geneva, exploring a question that sits at the heart of our work: how can we strengthen child protection systems so that every child who reaches out for help receives a timely, […]
EU Action Plan on Cyberbullying: A Timely Step to Protect Children Online
Last month, the European Commission launched the EU Action Plan Against Cyberbullying, committing to review digital legislation to better address this issue. This initiative is extremely timely, as European child helplines recorded an average of 216 contacts per day related to bullying in 2024 alone. And it is only getting worse, often overlapping with other […]
Strengthening Trust Through Data: Why the Better Deal for Data Matters for Child Helplines
As Senior Manager for Data & Research at Child Helpline International, I work with aggregated data from our global network of child helplines. The insights they provide help us identify emerging trends, better understand the risks children and young people are facing, and strengthen our advocacy at national, regional and international levels. Behind every data point is a real child. The information we […]
JUST LISTEN officially launches in Lisbon
On 3–4 February 2026, Laura and I travelled to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the kick-off meeting of the JUST LISTEN – Justice Professionals Listening to and Engaging Safely with Traumatized and Exploited Children, a project co-funded by the European Union under the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Hosted by NOVA School of Law, the two-day meeting marked the […]
AI for Social Good: Reflections from the Dagstuhl Seminar
Hero Image Photo credit: Schloss Dagstuhl – LZI Gmbh On January 5th, we were invited to take part in a five-day seminar on AI for Social Good at Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz Center for Informatics. The seminar brought together AI and ML researchers, and representatives from NGOs working across legal aid, humanitarian response, gender justice, poverty reduction, and child protection. The week was marked by a contagious collaborative […]