Child Online Sexual Exploitation Cases Hit Record High In Belgium

BRUSSELS, May 19 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- A record number of children and teenagers became victims of online sexual exploitation in Belgium in 2025, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing the annual report released by the foundation Child Focus on Monday.

The organisation recorded 837 victims of online sexual exploitation last year, including cases involving sextortion, grooming, and non-consensual sexting, more than double the 401 cases registered three years earlier.

According to Child Focus, the rise is linked partly to the increasing use of artificial intelligence, particularly through the spread of "deepnudes," realistic nude images generated using AI technology.

"The urgency of improving the online protection of our children is becoming even more pressing.…

"Because beyond the individual impact on victims, we also want to have a collective impact on all children: through targeted prevention designed to empower them, and by advocating for legislative frameworks that protect them," Executive Director of Child Focus Nel Broothaerts said.

Cases of grooming increased sharply. Child Focus opened 108 new files in 2025, a 151 per cent rise compared with the previous year. Victims were on average 13 years old.

The organisation also recorded 433 victims of "sextortion", marking a 143  per cent increase year-on-year. Sextortion involves the use of intimate images to blackmail victims for additional explicit material or money.

Reports of non-consensual sexting also continued to rise, with 296 new cases recorded in 2025, an increase of 30 per cent from the previous year. Around three-quarters of the victims were girls, with an average age of 14.

The report also pointed to a rise in vulnerable children repeatedly running away from care facilities.

Child Focus received 2,147 reports of missing children last year, a 19 per cent increase involving 1,514 individual minors. According to the organisation, repeated disappearances are often linked to sexual exploitation.

Cases involving the sexual exploitation of minors in prostitution also rose significantly.

Child Focus received 151 reports in 2025, up 60 per cent from the previous year. In 61 per cent of cases, victims were younger than 16, while three victims were under the age of 13.

-- BERNAMA-ANAODLU