Data: Shining a Light on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Secondary title

As of February 2025, we’re proud to have become a partner of Childlight, the global child safety institute dedicated to using data to expose and investigate the scale and nature of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSEA) worldwide.

We’re pleased that data collected from our child helpline members is featured in the latest edition of the flagship Into the Light Index. This index takes a global approach to mapping child sexual abuse and exploitation, capturing different aspects of victimization, perpetration and child sexual abuse material.

Sexual violence – both online and off – remains one of the most common issues raised during contacts with child helplines worldwide. As the Index continues to expand, incorporating more sources of data – including administrative data – our data can provide meaningful insights into the lived experiences of survivors of sexual violence.

This partnership would not have been possible without the dedication of thousands of counsellors and child helpline workers, who tirelessly support and counsel children and young people around the world. Their commitment and devotion are invaluable in ensuring children have a trusted space to turn to when facing harm.

As part of this newly forged partnership, I had the privilege of becoming a Global Data Fellow with Childlight this year, and I attended the Residency at the University of Edinburgh earlier in the year. It was a truly illuminating experience, in which I had the opportunity to meet incredibly inspiring individuals from all over the world, each sharing the common goal of using data to protect children from violence. It also felt pretty good to win the Pub Quiz on “All Things Scotland!”