Child seen in sex abuse videos identified after researcher spots school badge

Published:  Thu 19 Mar 2026

A girl who appeared in hundreds of child sexual abuse images and videos has been tracked down after years of searching by internet safety experts.

The victim, who is now a young adult, was finally identified and contacted after researchers saw a picture of her school uniform.

Investigators from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) first saw the girl in child sexual abuse material in 2020, but back then had no way to find her.

The analyst who identified the girl said it was "a huge uplift" that she was able to find the young woman - which is rare for safety researchers working in this field.

Read the full article at BBC News.

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