Amman – An international study conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), which included Jordan among 18 other countries, has recommended a series of measures to strengthen the protection of children against technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse.
اضافة اعلان
The recommendations include updating legislation to explicitly criminalise online grooming and sexual extortion, requiring digital platforms to adopt safety-by-design measures, strengthening the roles of families and schools, and improving child-sensitive justice procedures.
The study, launched last Thursday with guidance from the National Council for Family Affairs, also called for criminalising the deliberate access to child sexual abuse material, even when it is neither purchased nor downloaded. It recommended clarifying legislation covering digitally generated or manipulated content, including material created using artificial intelligence, and strengthening platforms' responsibility to proactively detect, block and report child sexual abuse material.
It also recommended introducing non-punitive positive parenting programmes, encouraging open communication between parents and children, expanding digital literacy programmes in schools, and training teachers and counsellors to identify abuse cases and respond in a trauma-informed manner.
The study stressed the need to avoid blaming child victims and to address the social stigma and concerns about family reputation that may prevent children and their families from disclosing abuse or seeking help.
It concluded that combating technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse of children requires a comprehensive national response involving families and schools, as well as legislation, justice institutions, law enforcement agencies and the private sector. Children must be able to disclose abuse and seek assistance without fear of punishment or social stigma.
Near-Universal Internet Use
The Jordan component of the study was based on a household survey involving 1,030 Jordanian children and 535 Syrian refugee children in Zaatari Camp, aged between 12 and 17, bringing the total sample to 1,565 children.
In addition to the survey, researchers conducted interviews with 15 service providers working directly with children, eight professionals in the justice sector and consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Research responsibilities were divided among the National Council for Family Affairs and UNICEF Jordan, Ipsos, which conducted the household survey, Tech Legality, which carried out the qualitative research, and the Justice Center for Legal Aid, which analysed policies and legislation. Interviews with law enforcement agencies were conducted in cooperation with Jordan's INTERPOL National Central Bureau.
At the international level, UNICEF, INTERPOL and the ECPAT network participated in the study.
The findings showed that internet use is almost universal among children aged 12 to 17. Some 96.7% of children in the national sample had used the internet during the three months preceding the survey, compared with 92.6% of Syrian refugee children in Zaatari Camp.
The study also found that 96.9% of Jordanian children and 90.8% of children in the camp used the internet at least once a day.
Home was the primary location for internet access, followed by relatives' homes and other locations, including friends' homes and schools.
Mobile phones recorded the highest usage rates, at 95.9% among Jordanian children and 96.2% among Syrian children in Zaatari Camp. Computers ranked second, although usage levels differed significantly between the two groups.
The study identified different factors limiting children's access to the internet. In the national sample, being occupied with other activities was the main obstacle, cited by 44%, followed by caregivers restricting internet use at 31.1% and teachers prohibiting it at 26.6%.
In Zaatari Camp, being occupied with other activities was also the leading obstacle, at 40.3%, followed by weak connectivity or signal at 32.2%, and the high cost of internet access and data at 33.7%. Limited electricity and a lack of devices were also reported.
43% Received Hate Messages
The study revealed that large numbers of children had been exposed to harmful online content and practices.
Some 48% of children in the national sample said they had seen graphic or violent images online during the year preceding the survey, compared with 37% of Syrian children in Zaatari Camp.
Additionally, 43% of Jordanian children had received hate messages online, compared with 25% of Syrian children.
The study found that 14.8% of Jordanian children had met face-to-face with people they first encountered online, compared with 9.3% of children in Zaatari Camp.
It also documented forms of peer violence, including threats, ridicule, exclusion and the spreading of rumours. These practices often occurred face-to-face, as well as through phones and internet-connected devices.
Fear of Scandal Discourages Reporting
Regarding technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse of children, qualitative interviews with professionals indicated that social norms related to gender may increase children's vulnerability to exploitation.
Perpetrators exploit fears of scandal and social stigma as tools to threaten and control victims. The interviews also indicated that girls who had experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse often sought help, disclosed what had happened or reported the abuse only when they felt they had no other option.
The interviews identified cases in which girls were blamed by their families instead of receiving protection. Concerned professionals also highlighted the need to protect some girls from male family members after they disclosed abuse or their cases came to light.
In a notable finding, one in five caregivers, or 19%, said they would punish their children if they experienced an upsetting incident online.
The study stressed that such attitudes may push children to conceal their experiences and reduce their chances of receiving support and protection. It called for stronger positive parenting practices and supportive family responses that encourage disclosure without blame or punishment.
It noted that parents play a fundamental role in protecting children. However, professionals warned that authoritarian parental supervision could have the opposite effect, undermining children's trust in their families and their willingness to turn to them when facing danger.
The interviews also indicated that mothers generally demonstrate greater awareness of issues involving abuse against their children, while some fathers face greater difficulties in cooperating throughout the recovery process.
Schools as a Gateway to Identifying Abuse
The study highlighted the role of schools in identifying cases of exploitation and abuse and referring children to specialised services.
It noted that behavioural changes and sudden declines in academic performance may be potential indicators that a child has experienced abuse.
Conversely, improvements in academic performance and relationships with peers may indicate progress in a child's recovery.
Survey data showed that 57% of children had received information about staying safe online. However, the study found that a significant proportion still needed official guidance and high-quality, evidence-based information.
It called for digital literacy programmes covering online safety, cyberbullying and privacy, as well as training for teachers and counsellors to identify abuse and respond appropriately. It also recommended providing counselling and psychosocial support services in schools.
Legislative Gaps
In its review of Jordan's legal framework, the study noted that legislation criminalises the production, publication, transmission and possession of child sexual abuse material through information networks, but does not criminalise merely accessing such material.
It also identified a lack of clarity in legal provisions concerning material generated using artificial intelligence or created digitally.
Regarding online grooming of children for sexual purposes, the study said that criminalisation is only partial and does not fully cover the characteristics and objectives of grooming. The law also does not explicitly criminalise its various online forms.
As for the sexual extortion of children, legislation criminalises the use of information technology to blackmail or threaten an individual into performing certain acts or providing benefits, with harsher penalties when children are subjected to sexual abuse or extortion.
The study called for these areas to be addressed through clearer and more comprehensive legal provisions to ensure children's protection against technology-facilitated exploitation and abuse.
Challenges in Accessing Justice
The legal analysis and qualitative assessment identified several challenges children face during reporting, investigation and court proceedings.
Among the most significant were the lack of adequate psychological and social preparation for some children before entering the justice system, as well as concerns among survivors and their families about privacy and confidentiality.
The study noted that some families, particularly refugee households, are reluctant to make official reports or engage with the justice system.
Although the law allows testimony to be given via video and hearings to be held behind closed doors, the application of these measures remains subject to judicial discretion rather than being automatic.
Other gaps identified include the absence of a requirement for investigative interviews with children to be conducted by trained professionals, as well as the lack of rules governing the number of interviews or requiring them to be audio- or video-recorded.
The study also found that comprehensive protection against intimidation and retaliation is not guaranteed for child victims, their families and relevant witnesses.
Furthermore, the involvement of multiple professionals in providing services and delays in judicial procedures may increase psychological pressure and stress on children and their families, potentially leading some to withdraw their complaints.
More Than 65,000 Reports
Regarding law enforcement, the study cited data from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which showed fluctuations in the number of CyberTip reports associated with Jordan between 2019 and 2024, with an overall downward trend.
The figures were as follows:
2019: 123,537 reports
2020: 115,267 reports
2021: 113,846 reports
2022: 73,355 reports
2023: 129,080 reports
2024: 65,889 reports
These figures do not necessarily represent the actual number of cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse in Jordan. Rather, they reflect reports received by the centre concerning Jordan. The study therefore urged caution in interpreting the data and warned against treating the decline in reports as direct evidence that the scale of the phenomenon has decreased.
The study confirmed that the Public Security Directorate is the law enforcement authority responsible for these cases. Its Cybercrime Unit and Family Protection and Juvenile Department lead investigations and responses in cooperation with the judiciary, government agencies and civil society organisations.
It also highlighted cooperation with INTERPOL and the organisation's assessment of the capabilities of relevant authorities, as well as its recommendations to strengthen Jordanian institutions' efforts to protect children online.
Greater Responsibility for Digital Platforms
Regarding the private sector, the study noted that managers of online platforms may be held criminally liable for illegal content hosted on their platforms, including child sexual abuse material. However, it identified the absence of an explicit legal provision requiring platforms to proactively detect and remove such content.
Platforms are also not required to establish clear, accessible and user-friendly mechanisms for reporting violations of children's rights and illegal content.
Furthermore, there are no clear requirements obliging internet service providers and platforms to retain user data for a specified period, potentially exposing digital evidence to deletion before the relevant authorities can access it.
In this context, the study emphasised the need to adopt a safety-by-design approach, strengthen reporting and removal procedures, protect children's privacy and increase platform accountability for proactively detecting, blocking and reporting child sexual abuse material.
Source: Al Ghad Newspaper
