Hotline.ie removed over 14,000 pieces of online child sexual abuse material in 2021

Fiachra Gallagher

Hotline.ie, Ireland's national centre for combatting illegal content online, classified and removed 25 per cent more child sexual abuse material in 2021 than in the previous 21 years combined, new figures show.

Hotline.ie removed 14,772 pieces of online abuse material in 2021.

Hotline.ie acts as service for members of the public to report what they suspect to be illegal content on the internet.

Figures show that one in four publically sourced reports of child sexual abuse material received by the service found content apparently generated by children themselves, indicating grooming or coercion by adults.

Sexual abuse imagery and videos involving children between the ages of four and 12 account for most of the Hotline.ie reports — 66 per cent.

Only one in seven reporters indicated they wished to have the matter referred to An Garda Síochána for law enforcement investigations, along with having the content removed by Hotline.ie.

The service was launched in September 2021.

Other forms of illegal content that fall within the remit of Hotline.ie include racist and xenophobic content, and scams.

Minister Harris described Hotline.ie's role as "worthy and difficult".

"This marks another year of the important, worthy and difficult work done by Hotline.ie in providing a means for members of the public to confidentially, anonymously and securely report suspected illegal content online, and in particular child sexual abuse material.

“In collaboration with An Garda Síochána, and overseen by the Department of Justice, Hotline.ie has undertaken this work for 22 years with great diligence and professionalism.

Prioritising online safety is a key element in building stronger and safer communities under the Programme for Government, he said.

"Each image is a crime," Mr Harris added. "Each image has a victim, or victims, who have suffered abuse, and who are re-victimised each time their abuse is viewed as it is shared across the globe.

"We must never become hardened or inured to these figures."

Hotline.ie’s CEO Ana Niculescu said that while the human toll represented by the figures are "overwhelming", "we can't afford to look away".

"I am proud of the role Hotline.ie has played and will continue to play in eradicating illegal content online.

"There is reason to be hopeful with online safety and cybercrime moving up the national and global agenda.

"It’s crucial for collaborative, multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary efforts to continue, for more resources to be invested in systems and services for the protection of children and vulnerable people, to provide justice to victims."

Hotline.ie have encouraged the public to file a report with the service if they suspect that they have come across illegal content, including sexual content of under-18s online.