One in Six Children Worldwide Face Sexual Exploitation

A report from the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute indicates that one in six children worldwide may be experiencing child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). The finding is part of the 2025 Into the Light Index, which seeks to quantify the scale of what researchers describe as a hidden pandemic.

Researchers from Georgia State University are using these estimates to call for the implementation of stronger online protections for children. The findings highlight the prevalence of exploitation and abuse in digital environments, prompting urges for governments and technology providers to enhance safety measures.

The 2025 Into the Light Index serves as a global tool to estimate the prevalence of child sexual exploitation and abuse. By providing data on the scale of the issue, the institute aims to move the crisis out of the darkness and into a space where actionable policy and interventions can be developed.

Childlight Global Child Safety Institute employs a data-driven approach to support governments and international organizations. The organization focuses on providing the evidence necessary to ensure that child protection services are adequately funded and targeted toward the most vulnerable populations.

The Role of the Into the Light and Searchlight Projects

The institute operates two primary projects to address the crisis of CSEA. The Into the Light global index is dedicated to estimating the numerical scale of the problem, providing a baseline for how many children are affected globally.

Complementing the index is the Searchlight project. While Into the Light focuses on the quantity of cases, Searchlight examines the nature of the global health emergency. This project analyzes the methods used by exploiters and the systemic vulnerabilities that allow abuse to persist online.

Together, these initiatives provide a comprehensive view of the crisis, combining statistical prevalence with qualitative analysis of the nature of the abuse. This dual approach is intended to help policymakers understand not only how many children are at risk but also how the exploitation is occurring.

Strengthening Global Expertise

To support the practical application of its research, the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute manages the Global Data Fellows Programme. This initiative is designed to strengthen expertise in child protection and drive innovative research into the digital threats facing children.

The programme fosters a global network of leaders, bringing together researchers and practitioners from different countries. By facilitating collaborative projects and providing hands-on opportunities, the programme aims to translate data findings into meaningful impacts on the ground.

The integration of academic research, such as that conducted by Georgia State University, with the institute’s data infrastructure allows for a more rigorous examination of online safety. The goal is to move beyond anecdotal evidence toward a standardized, data-backed understanding of child exploitation.

The call for stronger protections emphasizes the need for systemic changes in how digital platforms are designed and regulated. Researchers argue that without mandated safety standards and more robust monitoring, the scale of exploitation is likely to persist or increase as more children gain access to the internet.

The institute continues to provide its findings through interactive dashboards and thematic reports to ensure the data is accessible to those in positions of authority. These tools are intended to help organizations identify gaps in current protection frameworks and allocate resources more effectively.

For those affected by exploitation or abuse, support is available through Child Helpline International.