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As a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Internet Watch Foundation will be operating at a reduced capacity. We provide a vital service for the public and are committed to staying open but there is likely to be a delay responding to reports, emails and calls. People can still report child sexual abuse imagery as normal here.

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Our charity partners

Photo of Will Gardner, Susie Hargreaves and David Wright from the UK Safer Internet Centre

Will Gardner, Susie Hargreaves and David Wright from the UK Safer Internet Centre

We work with many other charities across the world to make the internet safer for everyone and to stop the distribution of child sexual abuse images.

We also help victims of child sexual abuse worldwide by identifying and removing online images and videos of their abuse. We search for child sexual abuse images and videos and offer a place for the public to report them anonymously. We then have them removed. 

By removing the abusive images, the survivors of these hideous crimes don’t have to suffer the humiliation of having their images of abuse shared over and over again. 

The children, whose abuse images we work hard to remove, are real victims. And their suffering is very real.

At the IWF, we don’t work directly with victims but we do work directly with the images of their abuse. We also work closely with the people who support, counsel and protect child victims and adult survivors. It’s important for us to share knowledge and intelligence with the child protection charities, so that together we can make a difference.

Our role in the UK Safer Internet Centre

UK Safer Internet Centre logoWe’re part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, together with our partners Childnet International and the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL). 

Together we provide a wide range of activities to promote the safe and responsible use of technology to children. Our work includes:

  • UK Safer Internet Day (SID), aimed at raising awareness about internet safety. 
  • Developing and delivering new educational and awareness-raising resources and tools for children, parents and carers, and teachers.
  • Providing an e-safety helpline for professionals working with children in the UK and education sessions for thousands of children, parents, carers, teachers and others.

Last year, SID reached 49 per cent of young people aged 8-17 and 26% of parents and carers. 77% of young people who heard about the day said they felt more confident about what to do if they were worried about something online.* This work is co-funded by the European Commission. 

The UKSIC has compiled a report that outlines our key achievements over the past two years including the impact of Safer Internet Day, the support of the hotlines and helplines, along with the resources created by the three partners throughout this time.

*Source: https://d1afx9quaogywf.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Safer%20Internet%20Day%202020/Safer%20Internet%20Day%202020%20-%20Impact%20report_0.pdf

Childnet International

Childnet International logoChildnet’s aim is to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children.

They work directly with children and young people from the ages of 3 to 18 on a weekly basis, as well as parents, carers, teachers and professionals, finding out about their real experiences online, and the positive things they are doing as well as sharing safety advice. 

You can find out more information at http://www.childnet.com/

South West Grid for Learning

South West Grid for Learning logoSouth West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) Trust is a not-for-profit charitable trust providing schools and other establishments with safe, secure, managed and supported connectivity and associated services, learning technologies to improve outcomes, and the toolkit for being safer online.

You can find out more information at: http://swgfl.org.uk/

ECPAT International

ECPAT International logoWe have an Memorandum of Understanding with ECPAT International, a global network of civil society organisations dedicated to ending the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
 
The agreement focuses on developing joint action to prevent the online sexual exploitation of children and to remove online child sexual abuse material (images and video) hosted anywhere in the world. Specifically, our partnership will promote the establishment of new internet reporting hotlines and portals using the technical expertise of IWF.
 
We will work in partnership to support existing reporting hotlines and to promote the creation of new hotlines in countries where they don’t currently exist. Ensuring universal reporting and response mechanisms are available, in partnership with law enforcement agencies, is a priority.
 

How we work with other charities

  • How we work with the NSPCC

    How we work with NSPCC

    NSPCC logoThe NSPCC works directly with children and families in over 40 service centres across the UK. They collaborate with frontline professionals and researchers to find innovative solutions and evaluate what works. They are the leading UK charity for child protection and run ChildLine, a telephone helpline that supports the young victims of abuse. You can find out  information at: www.nspcc.org.uk

    One of our challenges, particularly with images of older children, is to confirm how old a child is. We work closely with NSPCC’s ChildLine to officially verify the child’s age. We can then help get images of child sexual abuse legally removed from the internet, and the child can be offered safeguarding by the NSPCC.

  • How we work with the Marie Collins Foundation

    How we work with the Marie Collins Foundation

    Marie Collins Foundation logoThe Marie Collins Foundation (MCF) is the UK charity enabling children who suffer sexual abuse and exploitation via internet and mobile technologies to recover and live safe, fulfilling lives. They work with children, families, practitioners, Government departments and industry to ensure the response to those harmed reflects current best practice. You can find more information at www.mariecollinsfoundation.org.uk/

    Our Deputy CEO is a Trustee on their Board.

  • How we work with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation

    How we work with the Lucy Faithful Foundation

    Lucy Faithful Foundation logoThe Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a registered child protection charity which works across the UK to prevent child sexual abuse. It runs many projects, including Stop it Now! UK and Ireland and Parents Protect.

    Stop it Now! reaches out to adults who are concerned about their own behaviour towards children, or that of someone they know. It also helps professionals, survivors and protective adults. It runs a Freephone confidential Helpline. 

    Parents Protect! targets parents, carers and other protective adults with information and advice to help them prevent child sexual abuse.

    We carried out a research project in partnership with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation in 2013 to understand sex offenders’ internet habits when viewing online child sexual abuse material.

    The study was possible thanks to a grant from the International Foundation For Online Responsibility (IFFOR).

    The purpose of the research study was to better understand what prompted offenders to begin viewing indecent images of children and how their illegal behaviour developed over time in order to come up with a set of recommendations.

    You can find more information here.

    Our Chief Executive sits on their Advisory Board.

    You can read more information about Lucy Faithfull at: http:www.luchfaithfull.org.uk/

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