{"id":3180,"date":"2025-07-30T12:42:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3180"},"modified":"2025-07-30T12:42:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:42:26","slug":"behind-the-screens-global-teams-unite-against-child-abuse-and-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3180\/behind-the-screens-global-teams-unite-against-child-abuse-and-trafficking\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the screens: global teams unite against child abuse and trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"

EU-funded researchers and experts are joining forces across borders to combat child sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking using AI-powered solutions.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Michaela Nesvarova<\/p>\n

As online platforms play a bigger role in children\u2019s daily lives, so do the risks \u2013 from grooming and coercion to the spread of exploitative content. Child sexual abuse and trafficking are on the rise globally, with law enforcement and support organisations often struggling to keep up.<\/p>\n

In response, the EU is backing cross-border initiatives to address the problem and better protect children.<\/p>\n

One such initiative, aptly named HEROES, united researchers, NGOs and law enforcement agencies from 17 countries across Europe, South America and Asia.<\/p>\n

From 2021 to 2024, the network explored cutting-edge technologies and strategies to fight child sexual abuse and trafficking. It created a suite of tools to detect, prevent and respond to abuse more effectively.<\/p>\n

Protecting the vulnerable<\/strong><\/p>\n

The story of Gloria (name changed), a young girl from Latin America, shows the scale of the challenge and the power of coordinated action.<\/p>\n

Just before her 15th birthday \u2013 her\u00a0quincea\u00f1era\u00a0\u2013 Gloria attempted to take her own life during a school trip. Quick intervention saved her, and the reason soon became clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had been manipulated online for over a year,\u201d said Pilar Ram\u00edrez, vice president of national capacity building at the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), a HEROES partner based in Switzerland and operating globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started with someone she met on TikTok, who she believed was a local boy. He gained her trust, and she sent him intimate images, and then he began to threaten her, demanding more. He said releasing them would be his \u2018gift\u2019 for her birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gloria\u2019s mother contacted the police, who turned to ICMEC and the HEROES network.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to this international collaboration, the police were very quickly able to determine that the aggressor lived in Spain. Within just two days, they had found his house and arrested him,\u201d said Ram\u00edrez.<\/p>\n

Gloria\u2019s case is just one example of how international cooperation and innovative tools can make a life-changing difference for victims.<\/p>\n

AI against abuse<\/strong><\/p>\n

The HEROES network brought together psychologists, lawyers, health professionals, software developers and digital forensics experts united around a common goal: to prevent these crimes, support victims and bring offenders to justice.<\/p>\n

Professor Luis Javier Garc\u00eda Villalba, an expert on digital forensics, cybersecurity and AI-based tools at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), coordinated the work of the international team.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough HEROES was a scientific project, our main focus was on the social impact,\u201d he said. \u201cWe always started by asking law enforcement and NGOs what they really needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garc\u00eda Villalba\u2019s team developed powerful AI tools to support investigations and assist victims.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was important to show law enforcement and NGOs what technology could do for them,\u201d said Ana Lucila Sandoval Orozco, a researcher at UCM\u2019s Department of Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence who worked closely with Garc\u00eda Villalba.<\/p>\n

One standout tool is AGAPP, an AI-based mobile app that detects grooming and harmful content in messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt alerts the child\u2019s guardian and blocks the material, helping to protect the child and enabling a police report,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Other tools developed include a fake job offer detector (INDOOR) to combat trafficking, apps for anonymous reporting of abuse, as well as software that helps police to identify altered or hidden illegal content, scan seized devices and monitor harmful activity online \u2013 all with greater speed and precision.<\/p>\n

By automating time-consuming tasks and improving cross-border cooperation, these tools significantly strengthen the capacity of police and child protection services.<\/p>\n

In a fast-moving digital world where abuse can spread rapidly and often anonymously, such technologies play a vital role in closing the gap between online crime and justice, helping authorities respond faster, build stronger cases, and ultimately prevent abuse before it happens.<\/p>\n

Better support to victims<\/strong><\/p>\n

But stopping criminals is only half the battle. The HEROES team also focused on helping victims recover. Tools and protocols were developed to guide first responders, improve police-psychologist collaboration and make legal proceedings less traumatic for victims.<\/p>\n

Free online training was also made available to help transport workers and other professionals recognise signs of abuse and trafficking and know how and when to intervene. One key element is making sure the right kind of support is available when it is needed the most.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first contact with a victim can change everything,\u201d said Ram\u00edrez, speaking from experience. \u201cEither they feel safe to share, or they can shut down and blame themselves. That\u2019s why training first responders is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez is enthusiastic about the network\u2019s achievements and keen to see the new tools being widely used. The rollout to law enforcement and other stakeholders is expected to take place in 2025.<\/p>\n

As Ram\u00edrez pointed out, the HEROES initiative has also significantly improved the coordination between different actors, such as law enforcement agencies, NGOs and judicial services. This has made the help given more effective and reduced further traumatisation of victims.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to the network, we are able to contact and support each other in providing the best help to victims,\u201d said Ram\u00edrez. \u201cWhat we need to do, first and foremost, is to protect the children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u200bThis article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0Horizon<\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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