UN Human Rights Council 49: UK statement for the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children

Thank you, Mr President.

The United Kingdom thanks the Special Rapporteur for her ongoing work in this very important area. We agree with the Special Rapporteur that we can continue to learn from each other through sharing insights and practical approaches to tackle the horrific crime of child sexual exploitation.

The UK is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation, and shares the Special Rapporteur’s view that action is needed right across local, national, and global levels to strengthen our individual and collective responses to keep children safe online and in communities across the world.

The UK remains particularly concerned about the continued complex and evolving threat posed by online child sexual exploitation and abuse. We will shortly be introducing Online Safety legislation into the UK Parliament which will place safety duties on platforms to protect their users, overseen by an independent regulator. We are also continuing to work with international partners to encourage action and transparent implementation of the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation.

We would like to ask the Special Rapporteur, what further collective measures should we prioritise to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse online?

Thank you.