UK statement on violence against children during the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council

Thank you, Mr Vice-President,

The United Kingdom would like to thank the Special Representative for this valuable report and for her tireless work on this agenda, in particular her efforts to shine a light on the protection of children in the digital environment.

We note with concern the ongoing high rates of child sexual exploitation and abuse online, with girls being particularly at risk.
In response, we are driving forward the Online Safety Bill which will mandate tech companies to proactively tackle the child sexual exploitation threat on their platforms. We have also pledged a further £16.5m up to 2025 for the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, to deliver a world in which every child can access and benefit from the digital world, safe from harm.

Madam Special Representative,

We are encouraged to see your advocacy work to enhance child protection online, and welcome views on how we can ensure that this is effectively joined up with broader work to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence.