Out of the Shadows and Into the Light: Global Index Reveals Urgent Need for Governments to Address Childhood Sexual Violence

Over 300 million children under the age of 18 have been impacted by online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the last 12 months. That’s 10 children every second. As a young teenager in the United States, I was one of those children.

On May 17, I joined Together for Girls and The Brave Movement as a survivor delegate at the launch of the Out of the Shadows Index, a global assessment of 60 countries, home to 83% of the world’s children, on the laws, policies, programs, and services they should have in place to end sexual violence against children.

Researched and developed by Economist Impact, the Index acts as a benchmark of prevention and response-based governance. As a survivor, it acts as a lighthouse, boldly beaming through the dark storm clouds of inaction that keep other survivors like me silent.

Illuminating Systemic Failures

When child sexual abuse images of me were first posted on the internet, the world didn’t have a name for online child sexual exploitation. Today, we know the prevalence of sexual violence online — but we still ignore the impact. The Out of the Shadows Index acts as a backbone, strengthening survivor testimony with groundbreaking data and illuminating an urgent need for global prevention and response efforts.

Globally, every second in the past year, 3 girls and 2 boys were sexually abused. By the time this article is over, approximately 1,200 children will experience sexual violence somewhere in the world.

These numbers matter because behind every country unwilling to commit to ending violence against children, millions of children suffer the consequences every single day. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Breaking Through the Shadows

In the United States, in my backyard, a red-crested cardinal leaves a trail of scarlet as she flies from tree to tree. In the United States, as a survivor, I envy the freedom of the cardinal. In my backyard among the birds, I envision a world where every child is free from the chains of sexual violence.

Leah Juliett at the Out of the Shadows Index Launch. 

The data of the Out of the Shadows Index breaks through the shadows and centers the survivor.

It also provides a roadmap for governments to build a better world — a world where a child survivor is surrounded by help and insulated from harm. With trained child protection workers, trauma-informed law enforcement and medical examinations, survivor advocates, care coordinators, specialized service workers, and a community of support to navigate the darkness.

29 of the 60 countries assessed in the Index have no current national action plan on sexual violence, and 36 of the 60 countries have no national action plan that addresses online safety.

Using this data to inform the actions of future governments, experts can push for what the Out of the Shadows Index illuminates is missing in current state responses.

This could look like:

• Developing or updating a costed, time-bound national action plan.
• Ensuring every child can reach a trained responder around the clock.
• Closing legislative gaps on online child sexual violence by criminalizing online grooming and requiring internet service providers to report suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
• Making child-friendly justice the standard, not the expectation.

The Index also forces governments to consider what it could be like to build a world where childhood sexual violence doesn’t happen in the first place. A world where health, justice, education, and social services are child-forward, not retroactive. A world where prevention is prioritized, and all children are treasured beyond words and through action.

This could look like:

• Establishing a national survivor council to advise governments on child protection policies.
• Collecting national data on the prevalence of sexual violence against children.
• Clearly defining and banning online grooming of children.
• Developing a functional child helpline.

Forward Towards the Light

The Out of the Shadows Index is more than data; it’s a call to action on behalf of child survivors everywhere. To be heard. To be helped. To be supported. To be seen.

The Index is a vital tool for ministers and policy-makers around the world. It’s an accessible way to break through political noise and measure the real work of governments in preventing and responding to childhood sexual violence. But it’s up to all of us to use the data as a catalyst for real change.

For child survivors like me, the internet has only become a bigger monster since I was first abused online. The Index is a beam of light that puts the beast to bed. Because sexual violence cannot thrive in the sunshine. Because children do not deserve to live in a dark world.

Because we have the tools, we have the data, now we have the choice. For children everywhere, will we choose justice and healing or harm and inaction? Will we come out of the shadows?

Author: Leah Juliett, Award-winning writer, speaker, organizer, and advocate

Leah’s work sits at the intersection of digital justice, queer identity, and survivorhood.  In 2024, Leah played a key role in advancing federal revenge porn legislation, marking a historic milestone for survivor protections in the United States. For nearly a decade, Leah’s advocacy has shaped international conversations on online harms, platform accountability, and survivor liberation.