A/HRC/31/34 22. Determining the frequency of grooming is problematic owing to the reluctance of many victims to report abuse. Some studies suggest, however, that almost one in three children in Europe aged between 9 to 16 have communicated with someone they did not know online;8 in Latin America, as many as 40 per cent had done so. 9 While it is possible that not all contacts are harmful, it has been estimated that between 13 and 19 per cent of children have experienced unwanted sexual solicitation.10 23. It should be emphasized that publicity concerning online predators attempting to lure children into sexual relations by lying about their age misrepresents the overall picture and nature of the problem. Studies suggest that Internet sex crimes are more likely to fit a model of statutory rape involving adult offenders who openly seduce underage teenagers rather than a process of forced sexual assault, age deception or paedophilic child abuse.11 Research conducted in the United States of America suggests that most online offenders are, in fact, open about being older adults.12 Such openness may potentially complicate initiatives to protect adolescents from this kind of contact risk given that they may not regard themselves as victims. 3. Circulation of self-generated content 24. While many sexual images of children are created and distributed without their consent or knowledge, other images with sexual content may be produced by the children themselves. The creation and distribution of child-generated sexual content as a part of “intimate” online interaction or as a result of peer pressure is now a widespread phenomenon. Often referred to as “sexting”, there is a real risk that the material will be viewed by persons for whom it was not intended. One study found that 89.9 per cent of the images assessed had been harvested from the original upload location and were being redistributed on third-party websites.13 25. In 2013, a survey conducted by ChildLine, a non-governmental organization, of teenagers aged between 13 and 18 years in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland found that 60 per cent of participants had been asked for a sexual image or video of themselves; 40 per cent replied that they had created an image or video of themselves; and 25 per cent stated that they had sent an image or video of themselves to someone else. While most stated that the image had been sent to a boyfriend or a girlfriend, one third had sent it to someone they had met online but did not know in real life, while 15 per cent had sent it to a total stranger. 26. It is important to work with children to raise their awareness of the risks involved in this practice. It is furthermore necessary to ensure that any problem can be adequately addressed as soon as it arises. Firstly, children should have access to a child-friendly reporting and complaint mechanism that provides a secure and confidential way of 8 9 10 11 12 13 Stephen Webster et al., European Online Grooming Project: Final Report, European Commission, March 2012, pp. 24–25. Sergio García de Diego, Understanding the use of ICTs by children and young people in relation to their risks and vulnerabilities online specific to sexual exploitation: a youth-led study in Latin America (ECPAT International, Bangkok, June 2012), p. 38. Helen Whittle et al., “A review of young people’s vulnerabilities to online grooming”, Aggression and Violent Behaviour, vol. 18, No. 1 (January–February 2013), p. 65. UNICEF, Child Safety Online (see footnote 3), p. 40. Janis Wolak, “Research findings in the United States about sexual exploitation via virtual interactions”, in Research Findings on Child Abuse Images and Sexual Exploitation of Children Online (ECPAT International, Bangkok, 2009), p. 7. Internet Watch Foundation, Emerging Patterns and Trends Report #1: Youth-Produced Sexual Content, 10 March 2015. 7