Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) comment on Lucy Faithfull Foundation campaign launch

Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF CEO

Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF) is a long standing partner of IWF and they do some great work as a UK-wide charity focused solely on reducing the risk of children being sexually abused. This morning, 13 October, they launched their new Stop It Now! campaign aimed at deterring people from viewing images of child sexual abuse online.

We welcome any lawful attempt to tackle this hideous crime and urge others to join us. The campaign is centralised around a series of short films, which deliver important messages for anyone viewing, or wishing to view, child sexual abuse images or videos online. We’re particularly supportive of their aim to make clear viewing these illegal images is not a victimless crime. Behind every image or video there is a real victim. Real children, real lives changed forever. We must never forget this is a permanent record of a child being exploited and that a child is re-victimised every time the image is viewed. I was delighted Donald Findlater from LFF emphasised this critical, but often overlooked fact in his supporting statement.

At IWF, we support the Stop It Now! campaign and hope that by promoting and sharing the short films, this initiative will have a greater impact, and thus help reduce the viewing and distributing of child sexual abuse imagery online. Please join us in supporting this campaign and the fight against online child sexual abuse imagery.

Blog by Susie Hargreaves, IWF CEO