Latest News

DECEMBER 2024

Call for mandatory device-based age verification

Crime Stoppers International and the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) have both published position papers calling on governments to mandate device-based age verification and the default activation of parental controls on all internet-enabled devices to combat online child abuse and exploitation.

While the internet is an essential aspect of daily life today, it also brings substantial risks. According to a recent UNICEF report, more than one third of young people in 30 countries report being cyber-bullied. Sexually explicit content, violent and hateful material, highly explicit language, cyber-bullying, and online predators are prevalent and alarmingly accessible to children.

Our position paper, Protecting Children Online: Mandatory Device-Based Age Verification and Parental Controls, strongly advocates for the immediate adoption of device-based age verification. ICMEC’s Model Bill for Protecting Children Online provides the building blocks of legislation to this end that can be adapted to any legislative context. Both publications outline the key issues associated with online child safety, including the consequences of unrestricted access, and the adoption of age verification instead of app-by-app and website-by-website verification as a protective measure. Both also acknowledge the important work underway by policymakers globally and legislative changes under consideration in many countries to strengthen the online protection of children.

Deputy CEO of Crime Stoppers International Hayley van Loon noted, “Over 400 million websites operate without safety mechanisms to manage harmful content such as child sexual abuse material. Device-based age verification can leverage biometric authentication and secure hardware already embedded in cell phones, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, and other devices to provide a high level of accuracy that surpasses traditional methods like self-reported birthdates, which are highly susceptible to misrepresentation and circumvention”.

“As a non-partisan, global nonprofit committed to advancing child protection and safeguarding vulnerable children around the world, ICMEC calls on governments, regulators, policymakers, legislators and technology companies to work together to establish clear guidelines and global standards for device-based age verification” stated Travis Heneveld, Interim CEO at ICMEC.

New Partnership – CI-ISAC International

We’re excited to announce the signing of a global partnership agreement with Critical Infrastructure-Information Sharing & Analysis Centre, International (CI-ISAC International).

Headquartered in The Hague Security Delta, CI-ISAC International and Crime Stoppers International share a common vision of fostering secure and more resilient communities through collaboration, trust, and the proactive sharing of vital information to generate useful intelligence.

Both organizations recognize the vital role of empowering individuals and industries at a whole-of-nation level to contribute to collective security — whether by building trusted cyber communities to protect critical digital infrastructure or by providing safe, anonymous channels that enhance physical security and crime reporting – and we share a commitment to leveraging tools, partnerships, and community-driven solutions to anticipate, mitigate, and respond to threats that span the cyber-physical domain.

We look forward to our two organizations contributing to practical outcomes that enhance all countries’ capacities to defend their citizens and societies from cyber-physical threats – ensuring a safer and more secure world for all.

UN Women - 16 Days of Action against Gender-Based Violence

Every 10 minutes in 2023, partners and family members intentionally killed a woman or a girl.

UN Women focuses on areas that are fundamental to women’s equality worldwide, with ending violence against women and girls being an absolute priority.

Members of the Crime Stoppers International team and some of our valued associates were only too happy to commit to this year’s UN Women 16 Days of Action fundraising initiative to drive change and make tangible strides towards a world where women and girls are Safe. Everywhere. Always.

Congratulations to our team and their supporters, whose efforts and generosity saw them place in the Top 20 of fundraisers for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. Well done!