Online child sexual exploitation and abuse in West Africa

This policy brief examines the prevalence and risk factors of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cape Verde. It identifies significant gaps in victim identification, legal frameworks, and prosecution, while noting an increase in child sexual exploitation and abuse materials (CSEAM) uploads since 2019.

• There is a significant discrepancy between official data and the actual prevalence of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) in West Africa, with preliminary findings suggesting the issue is more widespread than reported. This aligns with global trends where regions with weak identification processes and high under-reporting typically show higher prevalence.
• Data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline shows an increase in OCSEA incidents across the ECOWAS region since 2019. Côte d’Ivoire has the highest number of NCMEC reports among the case study countries, averaging approximately 21,000 reported upload incidents of CSEAM per year between 2019 and 2022, ranking second in West Africa after Nigeria.
• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in OCSEA and CSEAM reports, while simultaneously reducing the capacity of law enforcement to respond. Personnel tasked with investigating OCSEA were redeployed to manage pandemic-related emergencies, a shift that reportedly persisted after the pandemic ended.
• Legal frameworks in the focus countries contain critical gaps: Cape Verde's 2017 cybercrime law lacks requirements for internet service provider (ISP) reporting; Côte d’Ivoire's laws do not exclude criminal liability for children exploited in the sex industry or those producing self-generated CSEAM; and Ghana's Cybersecurity Act 2020 fails to define 'sexually explicit conduct' or provide mandated therapeutic support for victims.
• Prosecution of OCSEA is hampered by low technical capabilities among judicial officials and high social stigma. Law enforcement often lacks the knowledge to preserve digital evidence, and judges and prosecutors are frequently unable to recognize or accept such evidence in court.
• The role of the private tech sector in the ECOWAS region is underdeveloped. Key issues include a lack of national laws to ensure accountability, insufficient personnel to identify OCSEA (with Africa often not prioritized in resource allocation), and limited cooperation between tech companies and law enforcement.

APA

Hoang, T., & Wagner, L. (2023). Online child sexual exploitation and abuse in West Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OCWAR-T PB 7.pdf

Chicago

Hoang, Thi, and Livia Wagner. Online child sexual exploitation and abuse in West Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OCWAR-T PB 7.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoang |first1=Thi |last2=Wagner |first2=Livia |title=Online child sexual exploitation and abuse in West Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OCWAR-T PB 7.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoang2023online, author = {Hoang, Thi and Wagner, Livia}, title = {{Online child sexual exploitation and abuse in West Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/OCWAR-T PB 7.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }