A/HRC/43/40 28. Examples of investigations carried out by law enforcement agencies demonstrate that transnational collaboration brings more effective results. 17 However, such operations entail dedicated and trained police forces, with adequate technical capacity to monitor the encrypted paedophile networks, lawfully access retained IP addresses to secure evidence, and engage with the private sector, overseas operating companies and foreign enforcement agencies.18 This requires proper legislation and adequate allocation of budgets. 29. Given the scale and complexity of the challenge, it is impossible for law enforcement agencies to tackle the problem single-handedly.19 Prevention must be prioritized, including through education programmes and awareness-raising campaigns targeting children and families inside and outside school settings. Children from all backgrounds should receive access to protection tools, software, and concrete information on how to identify abuse and report crimes and where to receive assistance. Children’s perspectives about how digital platforms can help them be safe and resilient should be included in prevention strategies. 30. The Special Rapporteur has repeatedly mentioned the danger of sexually exploitative virtual representations of children in subgenres of manga, anime, computer graphics and video and online games that contain depictions of extreme child abuse material (A/HRC/31/58/Add.1, paras. 22, 23 and 67). Despite the toughening of legislation in some countries, this type of child abuse material can still be accessed and purchased online. 31. While some private sector stakeholders have taken the initiative to include child online protection in their standard operating procedures, most small and medium-sized companies are not yet aware of their negative impact on the lives of children or choose to ignore it. Effective accountability of private industry should be overseen by Governments (see A/HRC/17/31, annex). This should be supported through national legal provisions obliging companies to develop and implement mechanisms to detect, report and block child sexual exploitation material, and enforce proper codes of conduct and minimum standards. 20 Children’s rights should be built into their business models and include a safety-by-design approach. 32. Regulation should further ensure that competent national authorities can access the data and evidence necessary under due process to ensure effective investigations and prosecutions of online crimes so as to guarantee the protection of children. This process must be guided by international human rights law and principles related to the rights to freedom of expression and access to information. 21 33. It is important to emphasize that ICT can serve as an essential element of successful prevention and response strategies, supporting efforts of law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations. Where domestic laws have not yet caught up with international standards, private sector stakeholders have an opportunity to bring their practices in line with these standards and promote innovative solutions and positive change. 22 The INTERPOL “Worst of” list and, in the United States of America, the CyberTipline, managed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, are examples of how such collaboration can help address child sexual abuse material more effectively.23 34. The Special Rapporteur welcomes all collaborative efforts, institutionalized at the national and global levels. The WePROTECT Global Alliance’s Global Threat Assessment 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 6 See the submission from the European Union. INTERPOL, “Safeguarding children from harm: a priority for global experts”, 14 November 2019. See the submissions from Latvia and the United Arab Emirates. An example of voluntary principles developed jointly by Governments and private sector stakeholders was presented during the WePROTECT Global Alliance summit in 2019. See Australia, Ministry for Home Affairs, “Address at the Global Summit to tackle online child sexual exploitation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia”, 12 December 2019. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), “‘Let’s connect for a safe, empowering and inclusive Internet’: Safer Internet Day”, 10 February 2015. Thorn is an example of an initiative aiming to achieve these goals (www.thorn.org). See www.interpol.int/Crimes/Crimes-against-children/Blocking-and-categorizing-content and www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline.