Initial analysis finds an almost three-fold rise in mentions on dark web since invasion
Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) believe that Ukrainian children could be facing an increased risk of being exploited or sexually abused online because of the war with Russia and the opportunities the conflict has created for offenders.
Initial analysis of the dark web by ARU researchers indicates that Ukrainian children are being discussed by offenders in online forums almost 300% more frequently than before the invasion in 2022.
Now ARU's International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) has been awarded $250,000 of funding from US-based Safe Online to extend this work, which will be the first major European study to investigate the impact of war on the online safety of children.
Thanks to the funding, ARU is launching the Dity Online project – 'dity' is Ukrainian for 'children' – to survey and collect data from 1,500 Ukrainian children and their parents.
Around half of all Ukrainian children have been displaced from their homes and for these children, much of their education and socialising has moved online. The project aims to understand the nature and extent of online child sexual abuse in Ukraine, and the impact of conflict on children's online behaviour and safety.
ARU will be working with partners including the Psychological Services department at the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, whilst also analysing dark web forums to understand how offenders are seeking to exploit opportunities created by the conflict to target children online.
Professor Sam Lundrigan, the Director of the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) at ARU, said:
"Since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, it is estimated that more than half of Ukraine's 7.5 million children have been displaced, potentially increasing the risk of them being sexually abused or exploited online.
"This is because the conflict has caused Ukrainian children to spend more time online to connect with their peers and to access education. Despite this, there is currently little understanding of the impact of living in a conflict situation on children's risks of harm in the digital world.
"What's more, our initial analysis of the dark web has shown that Ukrainian children are being discussed by offenders in online forums more frequently than before the conflict. Our initial research showed almost a three-fold increase."
Dr Anna Markovska, Deputy Director of the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) at ARU and the lead for the project, said:
"All our research must lead to tangible, positive, real-world outcomes, so the final phase of the project will be the development of an education programme for schools to help raise awareness of the risks posed to children online and how to stay safe.
"We're incredibly grateful to Safe Online for providing this funding, which will be instrumental in helping us protect more vulnerable children living through conflict."
