Child Sexual Abuse

Meta 'more cautious' on child abuse matters after strong govt message

The government's hard talk with Meta has led to action on child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with the company now showing greater sensitivity and caution on such content, IT ministry sources said on Tuesday, asserting that the Centre has made it unequivocally clear that such content constitutes a violation and cannot be covered by safe-harbour protection. Sources said the government's intent is not censorship or restricting coverage in any way, but ensuring Indian laws and norms are followed and that social media harms are mitigated. Meta explained how its algorithms and systems work, the ministry sources said, noting that discussions are on and such matters involve "judgment calls" and "tweaks". The IT Ministry official further said that Meta has shown increased sensitivity and caution on CSAM, with the government seeing some action by the company following its recent discussions. Sources described the response as "important and significant". The government had unequivocally ...

Govt pressure on CSAM prompts Meta to step up action, sensitivity

The government's hard talk with Meta has led to action and increased sensitivity on the issue of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), IT Ministry sources said on Tuesday, adding that the Centre has been unequivocal that such content is a clear violation and there is no safe harbour when law is violated in this manner. Sources said the government's intent is not about censorship or restricting coverage in any way, but ensuring Indian laws and norms are followed and that social media harms are mitigated. "The message has gone home," they said. During discussions, Meta explained how its algorithms and systems work, ministry sources said, noting that discussions are on and such matters involve "judgment calls, and tweaks". On the WhatsApp username row, sources said the matter is under examination as it doesn't involve just that particular platform, but other messaging apps as well. Sources said concerns over social media harms is not something specific only to India, it is a concern sha

Govt to decide next steps after Meta responds on CSEAM issue: IT secretary

The government will await Meta's formal reply to notice served over Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday, adding that a view will be taken basis the response given by the social media company. The government had issued notice to Meta on Saturday over the issue, with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordering Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had directed MeitY officials to summon Meta over Instagram ads allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material; the ministry demanded an explanation and information from the company on action that had been taken. Within days of the notice, Meta published a blog outlining its efforts to combat child sexual abuse material across its apps, highlighting AI-powered detection and large-scale enforcement actions. It also promised to continue investment in technolog

Enhance monitoring: Social media needs stronger safeguards to protect kids

MeitY's action against Meta over CSAM ads highlights the need for stronger AI oversight, platform accountability and stricter safeguards for online child safety

Govt notice to Meta: Why AI struggles to detect child abuse content online

Experts explain why context, coded language, multilingual content, and cross-platform activity continue to make child sexual abuse material one of AI's hardest moderation challenges

Disable child sex abuse ads and content on Meta's Instagram: Meity

Centre has also asked Meta to provide a detailed explanation on the presence of such content within 7 days

Union minister Bandi Sanjay's son arrested in Pocso case in Telangana

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son, Bageerath, was arrested on Saturday night in a POCSO case registered against him. "The accused has been arrested by police," a senior police official told PTI. However, Bandi Sanjay said he had asked his son to appear before the police and join the probe. "Satya Meva Jayate. With utmost respect for the law and judiciary, today my son Bandi Bageerath went before the Telangana Police through our advocates for investigation," the union minister said in a post on X. The development came a day after the Telangana High Court refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Bageerath.

Bard College Prez to retire after scrutiny of relationship with Epstein

The longtime president of Bard College announced his retirement Friday, months after it was revealed that he had a much deeper relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than was previously known. Leon Botstein, who has been president of the small, liberal arts college in New York for a half century, will retire at the end of June, he wrote in an email provided to The Associated Press by Bard. In the note, Botstein, 79, didn't mention the scrutiny of his ties to Epstein, except to say that he had waited to announce his retirement publicly until the completion of an independent review of his relationship with the notorious sex offender. He said he would remain on Bard's faculty as a teacher and musician. Botstein was not accused of any involvement in Epstein's exploitation and abuse of girls and women. But he was among a long list of prominent and notable men and women who maintained friendly relationships with him for years, despite his status as a convicted sex offender. A trove of docume

75 women expected to benefit from BofA settlement in Epstein case: Lawyers

Lawyers say up to 75 women who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein since 2008 may benefit from a USD 72.5 million fund set up as part of a settlement Bank of America reached with lawyers representing the women. US District Judge Jed S Rakoff gave the deal preliminary approval Thursday and set a final approval hearing for August 27. He also ordered lawyers to submit to him by Friday a broader list of publications to be used to notify Epstein victims that the settlement fund exists. The judge said he wanted to ensure "nobody is left out." Lawyers for women abused by Epstein had sued the bank, saying it ignored suspicious financial transactions involving Epstein that occurred while he was abusing girls and women from June 2008 to his arrest in early July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein died in August 2019 in a Manhattan federal jail. The death was ruled a suicide. At the hearing Thursday, attorney David Boies said lawyers for the victims believed between 60 and 7

Epstein Files: Justice Dept releases interview of woman who accused Trump

The pages had been withheld from the trove of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because of what officials called a mistaken determination that they were duplicates

National shooting coach suspended after minor accuses him of assault

A prominent member of India's shooting coaching staff, Ankush Bhardwaj, has been suspended by the national federation after a minor shooter accused him of sexually assaulting her during the National Championships last month. NRAI (National Rifles Association of India) confirmed that an FIR has been filed against Bhardwaj in Faridabad. Bhardwaj, a resident of Mohali, has been booked under Section 6 of POCSO Act (aggravated sexual assault), and Section 351(2) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (criminal intimidation). "NRAI has suspended him and we will issue a show-cause notice," NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI. "He has been suspended on moral grounds. Now, he has to prove himself innocent. Till the inquiry is not completed, he will not be associated with any coaching activity," he added. Bhatia said NRAI had recommended Bhardwaj for a place in the 37-strong coaching team after the Paris Olympics in 2024. "It was on the recommendation of the NRAI that he was appointed by SAI as one

Arpan NGO's Child Safety Week 2025 With Vidya Balan Achieves 165+ Million Reach in a Nationwide Movement Targeting Offenders

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Indian-origin Delta pilot arrested in US on child sex abuse charges

Delta co-pilot Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was arrested in San Francisco after landing; charged with five felony counts of child abuse, bail set at $5 million

Role of financial intelligence in exposing online child sexual exploitation

Effective regulation and collaboration between fintech platforms and law enforcement can significantly enhance OCSE detection

1 in 12 children globally subject to online sexual abuse: Lancet study

About one in every 12 children around the world were subjected to online sexual abuse in the past year, according to a study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and China Agricultural University reviewed 123 studies conducted between 2010 and 2023, and found that one in eight children globally are affected by image-based sexual abuse on the internet. Roughly the same number were found to be subjected to 'online solicitation' -- being persuaded into sexual activity or exposure. "One in 12 children globally have been subjected to at least one form of online sexual exploitation or abuse in the past year," the authors wrote. However, in regions, including South Asia, where current evidence is either limited or non-existent, the team called for more research. "East Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, and South Asia are lacking prevalence data; these regions constitute a large percentage of the global populat

Kerala police arrest 57 for sexually abusing a dalit girl over five years

The victim accused 62 people of blackmailing and sexually abusing her over five years. The case came to light after her teachers noticed behavioural changes and alerted child welfare authorities

Grooming gangs: Eight men jailed in UK for sexually abusing teenagers

The survivors, aged 13 and 16 at the time, endured years of abuse that came to light after one came forward as an adult

UK backs probe into child sexual abuse gangs after Musk stoked controversy

Britain's government said on Thursday that it will support a series of local inquiries into cases of organised child sexual abuse in the wake of a furore largely stoked by the world's richest man Elon Musk. In a statement to lawmakers, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government has also authorised what she called a rapid audit of the current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation across the country and make recommendations. The issue of so-called grooming gangs", also called rape gangs" by some, has risen up the political agenda in the UK after Musk recently took to his X platform highlighting the problem and condemning British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Musk criticised Starmer for not backing a national inquiry into the matter following a request from the local authority in the northern English town of Oldham, where police found girls under 18 were sexually exploited by groups of men in the 2000s and 2010s. Musk also alleged that Starmer failed to bring perpetrators t

UK lawmakers vote against new inquiry into 'grooming gangs' scandal

Grooming gangs scandal: The ruling Labour Party criticised the Conservatives for attempting to derail the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Indian diaspora groups condemn use of term 'Asian' in UK's child sex abuse

A number of Indian diaspora groups in the UK have strongly objected to the use of the generic term Asian with reference to a historic child sexual abuse scandal across different parts of England, largely involving gangs of men of Pakistani heritage. Defending his record, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that he had reopened such cases and brought the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang in Rochdale, north-west England, during his time as the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) between 2008 and 2013. The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) reacted to Starmer's statement to highlight that the charity had first complained about the use of vague terminology referencing the country's wider South Asian community in connection with the crime back in 2012. This use of the vague reference to Asian' grooming gangs is extremely disappointing from the Prime Minister, NSO said in a statement. Part of the problem with this issue has been a fear of not speaking ..