To the G7 Interior Ministers: A call to action for continued commitment to combatting the online exploitation and abuse of children

Winnipeg, Canada — Thousands of children from across our nations continue to be victimized by harmful and criminal acts every day in digital spaces. It is a public safety emergency.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) applauds the G7 leaders’ Communique coming out of the Berlin meetings, which references a commitment to step up efforts to prevent and combat child sexual abuse and exploitation globally, both online and offline.

It is crucial for the G7 to continue to deliver on its previously established Action Plan to Combat Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Our organization is calling for your continued leadership to ensure the following actions are taken:

• Recognize the rise in online child sexual exploitation and abuse as a public safety emergency requiring urgent action;
• Require technology companies to demonstrate the safety of its products prior to releasing and commercializing in the market;
• Impose ongoing proactive requirements on technology companies to prevent harm from occurring on their services;
• Impose ongoing reactive requirements on technology companies to be responsive to concerns and complaints from the public and its users;
• Focus accountability measures on all technology companies along the digital supply chain.

Our work is disrupting online child sexual abuse in G7 nations and beyond

C3P is a world leader in the detection and removal of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using a global takedown notice regime. Today, we issue upwards of 20,000 takedown notices daily. Since the launch of our technology‑driven tool, known internationally as Project Arachnid, more than six million illegal images hosted on over 1,000 electronic service providers (ESPs), spanning nearly 100 countries, have been removed from the internet. Our activities have also led to the elimination of two of the largest distribution sources of CSAM known to international NGO and law enforcement communities.

Our allies in this fight include 13 international hotlines, the Five Country Ministerial, global child protection organizations, and survivor groups. We consider the G7 as part of our growing allyship.

Your power and influence on online safety standards

The G7 countries and European Union have an influential role in shaping global policies in the technology industry. Historically, when these countries have shown leadership by strengthening online protections for its citizens, it has set a precedent resulting in broader safety for people globally. This underscores the need for G7 countries to continue pushing for the same offline protections we afford our children and adolescents within the online spaces that permeates every aspect of their lives.

A viewing of our recently released promotional campaign, The Unwanted Film Festival, would provide a valuable grounding in the subject.

Your continued leadership in this ever‑increasing public safety emergency is crucial to the security and well‑being of our children.