17 Sep Huw Edwards case far from isolated, says Childlight
Around 1.8 million offending in UK each year – but problem is preventable
Responding to the conviction of former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards, Childlight, the global child safety institute based at the University of Edinburgh, called for a new approach to curb sexual exploitation and abuse.
Childlight COO Zoe Lambourne said: “Tragically for children, the Huw Edwards case is far from unusual. We’re in the grip of a hidden pandemic, with an estimated 1.8 million UK people involved in sexually abusing and exploiting children online.
“This public health emergency is too big for law enforcement to counter alone but crucially, it is preventable through joint action to ensure child safety is always paramount.”
Childlight recently produced the first global estimate of the extent of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, indicating that more than 300 million children annually fall victim, equivalent to around 10 children every second.
