Online sexual exploitation and abuse in the United States: An analysis of policy gaps, system response and prevention mechanisms

Equality Now recommends urgent, coordinated action to address the legal, policy and systemic gaps that allow online sexual exploitation and abuse to persist in the United States, including:

• Strengthening and harmonising laws to ensure all forms of online sexual exploitation and abuse are clearly defined, effectively prohibited, and consistently addressed across federal and state frameworks.
• Embedding survivor-centred approaches in reporting, investigation and justice processes, including accessible complaint mechanisms, trauma-informed responses, and meaningful access to remedies and support services.
• Clarifying institutional roles and accountability by strengthening coordination between law enforcement, regulators, prosecutors and child and survivor protection services to prevent fragmentation and inaction.
• Enhancing prevention and platform accountability, including by implementing stronger safeguards, transparency obligations, and due diligence requirements for technology companies to prevent, detect and respond to online sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Ensuring policies are informed by lived experience and international human rights standards, recognising the intersecting harms faced by survivors and aligning US responses with global norms on digital safety, equality and access to justice.