International strategy launched
25 June 2012
Establishing an international arm to tackle online child
sexual abuse content is at the heart of the Internet Watch Foundation’s (IWF)
new three-year strategy.
Published today (Monday 25 June), it outlines six strands to continue its drive to tackle online criminal content.
The IWF will work internationally to share its expertise and skills with other countries and to strengthen its global partnerships in order to share the success the UK has seen.
The IWF processed more than 41,000 reports of suspected criminal content last year with over 13,100 of these assessed as images and videos of children being sexually abused.
The majority, over 12,900, were hosted abroad with three quarters of children appearing to be 10 years old and under.
The IWF is primarily funded by over 100 companies from the online industry including mobile operators, content providers, hosting providers, filtering companies, search providers, trade associations and the financial sector. It also receives funding from the EU under the Safer Internet Program.
Due to the close working relationship with the online industry, child sexual abuse content hosted in the UK is removed typically in 60 minutes. Members of the IWF are also proven to remove such content when it is hosted abroad 40 per cent quicker than non-members.
Susie Hargreaves, IWF Chief Executive, said: “While we continue to excel at tackling online child sexual abuse content in the UK, the next three years will increasingly focus on sharing our expertise and skills internationally.
“From working closely with the online industry, we’ve reduced UK-hosted child sexual abuse content to less than one per cent compared to 18 per cent in 1997.
“We also have a great many partnerships with other charities, police, other INHOPE Hotlines and child protection and technology experts all over the world and we feel it’s our duty and the right time to have a closer focus on the international dimension.”
The six strands to the IWF’s strategy are:
1. To build on our work to make the internet free of child sexual abuse images;
2. Keep the UK internet free of criminally obscene adult content and non-photographic images of child sexual abuse;
3. To be the best at what we do internationally;
4. Establish IWF:international;
5. Develop a motivational and dynamic working environment
6. Place our Members at the heart of operations.
Ends
From 9am on Monday 25 June the IWF Strategic Plan 2012-15 will be available to download here http://www.iwf.org.uk/accountability/strategy
For more information, to arrange an interview or for a print quality photograph of Susie Hargreaves, please contact:
Emma Lowther, Director of Communications on +44 (0) 1223 20 30 30 or media@iwf.org.uk
About the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)
The IWF was established in 1996 by the internet industry to provide the UK internet Hotline for the public and IT professionals to report criminal online content in a secure and confidential way. The Hotline service can be used anonymously to report content within our remit:
- child sexual abuse images hosted anywhere in the world;
- criminally obscene adult content hosted in the UK;
- non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK.
To be kept up to date with our activities throughout the year you can sign up to our regular e-newsletter.
The IWF is a self-regulatory body with charitable status.
