Multistakeholder collaboration is the key ingredient of the INHOPE network. With this unique event, INHOPE aspired to create a space for stakeholders across different sectors to discuss challenges, talk about opportunities, and examine potential initiatives and approaches to collectively combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. 

The summit consisted of different formats, from a series of presentations concerning why and how we need to communicate about CSAM, to panel discussions addressing the role of industry… not just from a digital platform perspective, but through the lens of the legal and financial sector too. An interview format provided a deep dive into TikTok's trust and safety approaches, while breakout sessions facilitated conversations about the role of each sector – gaming, finance, tech and tourism – in collectively advancing the fight against CSAM; a topic that, outside of the trust and safety space, is not discussed enough. 

Talk about it 

When it comes to talking about CSAM, people become uncomfortable and tend to avert their eyes and ears. But, if we want to generate societal change and achieve our vision of ridding the world of child sexual exploitation and abuse content, we need to move this conversation from the child protection space to the public sphere. 

Pia Shah, Michelle DeLaune, Anna Blue and Dr Lucinda D. Davenport set the stage for how we need to adjust communication about CSAM. 

• Digital education must be more approachable to young people – speak the kids' language. 
• Creativity is required from online platforms in designing engaging and interesting educational resources for children. 
• Knowing how to frame the message is key – using emotions to drive a message can be effective, but sensationalism should be avoided. 

Lisa Hayes, in an interview led by Anna Blue, examined security within digital communities and shared different approaches to keeping a young user base safe online. 

• Strict age restrictions with varying permissions for users of different ages. 
• The digital world reflects children's developmental stages – we can't prevent them from testing boundaries, but it is our responsibility to provide in-app resources that teach kids how to deal with them. 

Nils Andersen-Röed, Chengos Lim and James R. Marsh examined the role of different industries, contributing perspectives from cryptocurrency, gaming, and law. The speakers agreed that responsibilities in keeping children safe online vary across sectors and therefore require different tools, approaches and policies. David Hunter explained the role of safety policies and stressed the importance of making them accessible, not only for legal use but for all digital citizens. 

Our roles 

In summary, we all have a role to play but do you know yours? INHOPE’s hope is that the summit will encourage attendees to think about their roles and responsibilities in contributing to a global response to CSAM. For INHOPE, key directions include becoming better at what they do every day, focusing on the victim, and growing the hotline network into countries that currently don't have reporting capacity. 

Discover more about the work of INHOPE at www.inhope.org or register for INHOPE’s event newsletter to stay informed on upcoming events, webinars and trends.