WHAT IS CSAM?
Child Sexual Abuse Material (legally known as child pornography) is a global pandemic.
Child Sexual Abuse Material, or CSAM, refers to any image or video showing the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child under 18. These files are not just pictures — they are evidence of real crimes against real children. Every time an image is shared or viewed, that child is re-victimized, reliving their abuse all over again.
Today, CSAM is being spread across the same online spaces we all use — social media, gaming platforms, messaging apps, and email. This digital spread has made the crisis larger than ever, but it’s also made our mission clearer: to stop this abuse, rescue victims, and hold offenders accountable.
The NCMEC CyberTipline has received over 195 million reports related to CSAM since 1998.
In 2024 alone NCMEC received over 19 million reports
What is sextortion?
Sextortion is a growing form of child exploitation where predators threaten or blackmail children—often using private or sexual images—to demand more photos, videos, or even money. Many times, the child believes they’re talking to someone their own age, but the person behind the screen is a criminal using fake accounts, stolen images, and manipulation to gain control.
In recent years, sextortion cases have skyrocketed, with teenage boys being the most frequent targets. These crimes can start with a single message and quickly turn into fear, shame, and danger — but with awareness, education, and the right resources, we can stop it before it starts.
In 2024, NCMEC states the phenomenon of sextortion “continues to rise, with a significant increase in reports of online enticement” and they note “nearly 100 reports of financial sextortion per day”.
What Is Child Sex Trafficking?
Child sex trafficking is one of the most devastating forms of child abuse. It occurs when a child under 18 is exploited through a sexual act in exchange for something of value—money, food, shelter, drugs, or even a false sense of love and safety.
Traffickers prey on vulnerability. They often target children who feel unseen, unloved, or unsupported—those who have faced abuse, homelessness, or broken trust. Using manipulation, intimidation, or fake affection, they gain control and exploit these children for profit.
Child sex trafficking can take many forms:
- A family member or relative may traffic the child for personal or financial gain.
- A stranger or online predator may build trust and then exploit that relationship.
- Gangs or organized groups may use violence and fear to control victims.
- Some offenders act alone, offering money or shelter directly to a child.
The impact is lifelong—emotional trauma, physical harm, and even death. But awareness and education can change that. The more we understand the signs, the better we can protect children and stop this abuse before it starts.
At Operation Light Shine, we work with law enforcement and community partners to identify victims, dismantle trafficking networks, and shine a light of hope for every child trapped in the darkness.
If you suspect a child is being trafficked or exploited, report it immediately to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Every report matters. Every child deserves safety.
See the numbers for yourself
- In 2024, NCMEC received more than 27,800 reports of possible child sex trafficking
- 15 is the average age of child sex trafficking victims reported missing to NCMEC.
- 1 in 7 of the more than 29,000 cases of children reported missing to NCMEC in 2024 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.
- Of the children reported missing to NCMEC in 2024, who had run from the care of child welfare, 18 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.
The solution
Operation Light Shine’s mission is to create, fund, and equip INTERCEPT Task Forces across the country.
We provide everything these specialized units need to fight child exploitation and trafficking — from advanced technology and investigative software to data-analysis tools, enterprise systems, public and private partnerships, forensic support, subject-matter expertise, and ongoing training. We cover the operational costs that allow these teams to focus solely on protecting children, including essential equipment, infrastructure, and coordination needs.
Operation Light Shine created the INTERCEPT Task Force model to give law enforcement the resources, staffing, and support they need to identify and rescue victims, pursue offenders, and prevent future harm through community education and awareness. INTERCEPT brings together agencies and partners in a unified, multidisciplinary approach that strengthens investigations, accelerates victim identification, and expands the reach of those on the front lines.
INTERCEPT is a proven, scalable model that empowers law enforcement to move faster, respond smarter, and protect more children. Through Operation Light Shine’s investment and support, these teams have become a national example of what collaboration, innovation, and commitment can achieve in the fight against child exploitation and trafficking.
OUR FIGHT
THE PROBLEM
This map demonstrates the scale of the problem. Investigative software logs individuals actively sharing child sexual abuse material on peer to peer file sharing networks similar to Napster or Limewire. The red icons indicate cases that are not currently under investigation while the blue icons indicate cases actively under investigation by law enforcement. LE agencies need more resources to address the sheer volume of cases.
THE PROBLEM
WHAT IS CSAM?
Child Sexual Abuse Material (legally known as child pornography) is a global pandemic.
2004
450,000
FILES
2022
82+ MILLION
FILES
THE NUMBER OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE FILES REVIEWED BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN.
– Since March 9, 1998 132,000,000+ child sexual exploitation incidents.
The majority of CSAM files depict toddlers.
– Since September 18, 2002, NCMEC has received over 363,000,000+ images and videos depicting the
exploitation and rape of children.
Though child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a global issue, the United States remains one of the largest producers and consumers of child abuse content in the world. It’s important to understand the true nature and pervasiveness of child sexual abuse material to convey the urgent need to address this crime.
WHAT IS SEXTORTION?
Sextortion is a form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of sharing with the public a nude or sexual images of them, by a person who demands additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the child. This crime may happen when a child has shared an image with someone they thought they knew or trusted, but in many cases they are targeted by an individual they met online who obtained a sexual image from the child through deceit, coercion, or some other method. In many cases, the blackmailers may have stolen or taken images of another person and they are communicating through a fake account. The blackmailer may have sent images as well.
- Since 2016, the CyberTipline has received 262,573 reports of Online Enticement, the category that includes sextortion.
- Between 2019 and 2021, the number of reports involving sextortion more than doubled.
WHAT IS TRAFFICKING?
Human trafficking is the practice of exploiting adults and children for use as commodities, or objects, in conditions of sexual and labor servitude. Also known as “modern slavery,” human trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings through recruitment or abduction by means of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of forced labor, debt bondage, or sexual exploitation.
- Since March 9, 1998, 126,000+ cases of child trafficking.
- 1 in 6 of the more than 25,000 cases of children reported missing to NCMEC in 2021 who had run away were likely victims of child sex trafficking.
- In 2021, NCMEC received more than 17,200 reports of possible child sex trafficking.
- 3.8 million adults are trafficked for forced sexual exploitation and 1.0 million children are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.
CHALLENGES FACED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Currently in the US alone, an estimated less than 1% of child sexual exploitation cases are being investigated.
- - The US government is currently spending $40 billion a year on fighting the war on drugs and even still the fentanyl epidemic is killing Americans at unprecedented rates. The US government spends only approximately $200 million on combating child exploitation and human trafficking and the number of child exploitation cases are so numerous they are now considered a public health crisis.
Law Enforcement in the United States works incredibly hard to protect children, but they face an uphill battle. The lack of resources critically affects their ability to address the massive scale of the problem. Under-staffed, underfunded, under-resourced and under incredible pressure, law enforcement struggles to make a dent. Today, most units dedicated to fighting child sexual exploitation are buried in reactive leads without the ability to proactively target the worst offenders. These issues negatively affect their ability to prevent, respond to, and investigate all types of crimes much less Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking. Child Exploitation and human trafficking are crimes that require extensive resources and technologies that the police simply don’t have, from federal agencies down to the most undeserved municipalities across the US.
THE SOLUTION
Operation Light Shine’s main purpose is to create, fund, develop and equip INTERCEPT Task Forces. Operation Light Shine provides everything the INTERCEPT Task Force needs from advanced technology, software, enterprise solutions, public and private partnerships to necessary to support the multidisciplinary model, investigative equipment, coordination between domestic and international HT/CE operations, forensics capabilities, subject matter experts, advanced training, research and development all the way to covering rent, utilities and office supplies at each task force.
Operation Light Shine created the Inter-agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT) to provide the resources, staffing and support required to identify and rescue child victims, apprehend their offenders and reduce the risk through public education and awareness. The state-of-the-art facility will bring together law enforcement, NGO’s, prosecutors, victim services and medical professionals in a multi-disciplinary approach to fight the exploitation and trafficking of our children. The INTERCEPT task force is a world class, first of its kind workspace providing all resources required to conduct investigations, plan and run operations, identify and rescue victims, educate parents and youth, process and analyze seized data and serve its community.
