Report child sexual exploitation and abuse

Between May 8 and May 10 we have limited staffing at the ECPAT Hotline. Therefore incoming cases may take longer to process.

What is ECPAT Hotline and what happens when I make a report?

ECPAT Hotline is a website where you can report all kinds of suspected child sexual exploitation or abuse. You can choose to be anonymous. The purpose is to remove child sexual abuse material online and to provide the police with relevant reports in order to find children that are being sexually exploited. As long as the abuse material circulates online, the abuse never stops.

If a crime is suspected to take place in Sweden, involves Swedish children or offenders, the report can be sent directly via our Hotline to the Swedish police. Other reports, such as child sexual abuse material that is tracked to another country via INHOPE, are sent to the national hotline of the hosting country. INHOPE is an umbrella organization for hotlines around the world. INHOPE also makes sure the abuse material is sent to Interpol, who works on identifying the child portrayed in the image. ECPAT Sweden is a member of INHOPE and follows INHOPE Code of Practice. 

What is child sexual abuse material (“child pornography”)

The crime called child pornography in the Swedish Penal Code 16 chapter 10 a§ criminalizes trading, producing, and viewing of child sexual abuse material. The material includes film, photos, drawings, and photo montages – amongst other things. A child is by law defined as a person who has not fully developed puberty, or when surroundings as well as other circumstances in the picture could indicate that the person is under the age of 18. A picture is considered pornographic if it portrays a child being sexually abused, focuses on the child’s genitals, or if the picture is thought to have a sexual motive. A picture that portrays adults interacting sexually with a child present is also considered to be child sexual abuse.

ECPAT Hotline will act to remove all child sexual exploitation material online,

Report directly to the police

If you suspect sexual abuse of a child, always report it to the police. Call 112 if it’s an emergency. If it’s not, call 114 14. You can also make a report online on the police website.

Read more about the work against child sexual abuse on the police website.

Contact information for questions or complaints

If you have questions concerning a report, you can contact us via e-mail. Make sure to add the reference number you received.

If you feel like your report has not been handled according to our regulations, you can send an e-mail and describe your concerns. We will need your contact details and your report reference number. When we have received your complaint, we will review it and contact you within two working days.

E-mail: info@ecpathotline.se