Why STISA

 “Everyone is entitled to be safe when using the Internet, none more so than those targeted by image-based abuse (IBA).

The sense of personal violation created when a perpetrator shares intimate images online without consent is profound. eSafety is committed to using our regulatory powers to address this insidious form of abuse – and we’ve been on the leading edge of doing so since 2018.

Through our powers we force removal of IBA material and hold perpetrators responsible. We also compel information from industry about how they are tackling sexual extortion on their platforms, while contributing to widespread change through education and prevention efforts, and Safety by Design.  However, no agency can tackle IBA alone. This is a harm that challenges agencies around the world, in every time zone, and on every continent.If we are genuine and serious about making an impact for the better, we need to be genuine and serious about acting globally. A network such as STISA is long overdue, giving agencies welcome opportunities to collaborate and share information, while providing victim-survivors the support they so richly deserve.”

-- Julie Inman Grant, eSafety Commissioner

The eSafety Commissioner is Australia's independent regulator for online safety. Three pillars guide eSafety's work: Prevention, including through research, education programs and raising awareness; Protection, through regulatory schemes and investigations tackling a range of harms, including image-based abuse; and Proactive and Systemic Change, by staying ahead of technology trends and supporting industry to improve user safety standards. eSafety is a member of INHOPE, the global network of hotlines against child sexual abuse material, and a founding member of The Global Online Safety Regulators Network.

 "Point de Contact helps victims of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) by contributing to the removal of their content and preventing its re-distribution (re-victimization). To address this type of violence that particularly targets women, we launched the DISRUPT platform in 2023, aiming at empowering and providing victims with a complete solution (reporting and hashing). However, a large amount of IBSA continues being distributed online, which reflects the scourge of gender-based violence, and the considerable efforts that society must invest in terms of education and awareness, but also in finding global operational and efficient solutions. When hosting providers are not cooperative (and the transnational justice system is not effective enough) to remove sexual content published in violation of the victim, the content remain online, aggravating the suffering of the victims. Civil society is not structured operationally to combat this type of violence, and cooperation with hosting providers and law enforcement needs to be improved at an international scale. We strongly believe that a project like STISA would improve the overall response to this scourge, by bringing together relevant players, including civil society actors, digital platforms and hosting providers, and by placing technology and a victim-centered approach at the heart of the network.”

-- Alejandra Mariscal Lopez, Director 

Point de Contact is France' hotline against child sexual abuse material, founding member of INHOPE. A not-for-profit association, it enables people to report anonymously, simply and free of charge potentially illicit content online for removal. In 2023, it has launched DISRUPT, a service dedicated to the reporting for Image-Based Sexual Abuse.

 “Images have power, that’s why we have the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Unfortunately, pictures can have power over someone as well and be used to force them into situations we should not accept as a society.

Not daring to go to school anymore, being forced into sexual acts, and even having suicidal thoughts are some of the effects victims of Image-Based Sexual Abuse share with us.

We as Offlimits, being the Netherlands Safer Internet Center, know from our own experience that proper help for IBSA needs to be holistic and in collaboration with both the public and private sector. We need more preventive efforts such as providing proper sexual education in combination with media literacy, helping victims remove illegal content swiftly - in collaboration with the online sector - and making sure people get proper help with the caused trauma. As this is more and more a global problem, good practices need to be shared in the international network to learn from one another, and that’s exactly where we believe STISA can and will play a crucial role. We share STISA’s ambition : no survivor, no matter their age, gender orientation and sexuality, should stand alone in the face of their own injustice.”

-- Robbert Hoving, CEO  

Offlimits is the Netherlands' hotline against child sexual abuse material, founding member of INHOPE. Offlimits evolved from the Online Child Abuse Expertise Bureau (EOKM), which in turn evolved from the Child Pornography Hotline. It now focuses on all groups, and is no longer limited to online sexual abuse. It also focuses, for example, on online fraud or online stalking. This is why a name was chosen in 2023 that does justice to all these topics and target groups: Offlimits.

 "The scourge of image-based abuse, often referred to as NCII or Image-based sexual violence - is fastly impacting children and adults within South Korea and throughout the world.  

Recognizing the devastation that this form of abuse causes victims ranges from social isolation, sexual assault and even death, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) is honored to support the development of STISA, the first global survivor-centric network that brings together, hotlines and helplines, industry and key governmental and civil society stakeholders. We recognize that image-based sexual violence is often committed by those across borders who respect no law. In fact, deepfake abuse, a national crisis in South Korea, often happens to Korean young women and girls outside of South Korea thus making the removal of abuse content a global concern. No one government or civil society organization can alone ensure survivors receive the justice and care they need. The problem is global and so must the solution be. A network such as STISA is urgently needed to ensure seamless and effective solutions for survivors regardless of their age, gender orientation and sexuality. KCSC stands together with survivors and the STISA network.”

--  Ryu Hee-Lim, Chairperson 

The Korea Communications Standard Commission (KCSC) is an independent statutory organization committed to ensuring public accountability and safeguarding the fairness of our broadcasting content. It also oversees the Internet environment to promote a valued culture of safe internet communications. KCSC aims to protect citizens from any illegal and unjust defamation that undermines the dignity of our society members within the realms of broadcasting and communication. It is member of INHOPE, the global network of hotlines against child sexual abuse material and of The Global Online Safety Regulators Network.