The International “La Strada” Center and the Moldovan Association of ICT Companies (ATIC) signed a cooperation agreement today, July 11, 2025, to promote online safety for children and women. The signed document formalizes the partnership between the two institutions, based on complementary visions: on one hand, protecting the rights of children and women in the digital environment, and on the other, promoting responsible digital transformation for the benefit of citizens. The agreement was signed by Elena Botezatu, Executive Director of the International “La Strada” Center, and Irina Oriol, Executive Director of ATIC, who reaffirmed the shared commitment of their institutions to collaborate in a structured manner to develop and implement a series of joint initiatives aimed at strengthening the safety of children and women online and supporting the creation of a safe and responsible digital space. These initiatives include the implementation of joint projects and activities in digital education, awareness campaigns, advocacy efforts, and training sessions focused on preventing and combating online risks. Additionally, both parties commit to promoting child-friendly and secure digital solutions and supporting the development of regulatory frameworks for the protection of children in the virtual environment. The partnership will also contribute to strengthening mechanisms for identifying and reporting abusive content involving children, including through the involvement of ATIC member companies and the use of innovative technologies. Furthermore, the operation of the Child Abuse Material Reporting Service will be supported, along with the organization of events, workshops, and courses dedicated to raising awareness about risks associated with the digital environment, among others. “This partnership holds special strategic value for us. We are glad that the private sector, especially IT companies, will join us in one of our key missions: making the internet safer for children and women. We are confident that by combining our social expertise with the technological know-how of our colleagues at ATIC, we will make concrete and valuable progress in this direction — and indeed, we succeed when we work alongside dedicated professionals” said Elena Botezatu. Similarly, ATIC’s Executive Director, Irina Oriol, emphasized the importance of institutional collaboration in building a safer online environment, reiterating that the involvement of industry companies will undoubtedly accelerate this process. The International “La Strada” Center appreciates ATIC’s openness, as a unifying platform for the ICT sector in the Republic of Moldova, to integrate online safety into the digital transformation agenda aimed at benefiting citizens. This shared vision makes the partnership established today both possible and welcome, focused on creating a safer internet for its most vulnerable users — children. The agreement is valid for a period of three years and provides clear mechanisms for cooperation, responsibility, and progress monitoring.

The Number of Reports Concerning the Hosting of Child Sexual Abuse Material Online in the Republic of Moldova Continues to Rise Throughout 2024, the SigurOnline Hotline, the national reporting service for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), recorded 11,894 reports, marking a nearly fivefold increase compared to 2023. Additionally, last year, 122 criminal cases were registered involving sexual offences against children committed through the use of information technologies, compared to 72 cases in 2023. Iurie Roșca, Head of the Cybercrime Investigation Centre of the National Investigation Inspectorate under the General Police Inspectorate (IGP), believes that the Republic of Moldova remains an attractive destination for the hosting of illegal online content, including CSAM. This situation is facilitated by the existence of a well-developed and accessible digital infrastructure. According to Roșca, in 2024 Moldova ranked 15th globally in terms of the number of such materials hosted, with 19,593 files identified on servers located in the country. Elena Botezatu, Executive Director of the International Center La Strada, noted that 2024 was a year of both challenges and progress. "There is an unseen reality online, a reality of abuse. The Internet remains a risky space for children, but also one where, through joint efforts, lives can be saved. Every image taken down is a step toward safety. Every report submitted is a refusal to normalize abuse. We need clearer legislation, ongoing engagement, and stronger interinstitutional collaboration to ensure that child protection in the digital space becomes a daily reality, not just an ideal"  Botezatu emphasized. Last year, the reporting service issued 10,949 notifications requesting the removal of CSAM from hosting providers. Following these notices, hosting providers blocked access to or removed 29,620 files containing abusive content. Over half of the removed materials consisted of entire web pages displaying from a few to hundreds of media files (photos, screenshots, videos, etc.). According to the 2024 annual report of the SigurOnline Hotline, 68% of all reported materials involved girls—accounting for 7,623 files. Another 33 materials involved boys, while 147 materials featured both boys and girls shown in sexual activities or in contexts indicative of sexual abuse. This trend is consistent with 2023 data and highlights a persistent and concerning typology in online CSAM: girls remain disproportionately vulnerable to this form of exploitation. In 2024, 7,336 reported files involved children aged 3 to 13, with 4 cases involving children under the age of 2. Moreover, in over 60% of reports, the children depicted were between 7 and 10 years old, making this age group the most frequently reported in CSAM. The global expansion of artificial intelligence and its use in the commission of sexual abuse against children has reached a new dimension. AI-generated CSAM has advanced to the point where analysts at reporting services are now encountering highly realistic videos that are extremely difficult to distinguish from real footage. The report notes that the Hotline received reports of 62 links containing virtual material—87% consisting of comics and 13% AI-generated images. These included over 10,000 images and videos created with artificial intelligence or anime-style systems. Under current national legislation, these materials are not classified as illegal and therefore cannot be removed from online platforms. At the same time, 69% of reported materials were identified as self-generated content, a highly alarming trend that represents a significant risk to children. These self-produced images or videos often involve children who have been manipulated, coerced, or blackmailed into creating and sharing explicit content. This not only endangers their current safety and integrity but also increases the risk of further exploitation. During the reporting period, one-third of reports concerned illegal content hosted on commercial websites. These platforms are used to generate revenue by selling access to CSAM through download fees or subscription-based models offering access to illegal collections. The full report is available HERE, and a summary of the key data in figures can be accessed HERE. It is worth noting that www.siguronline.md is an international service that operates according to the Hotline standards for reporting CSAM. The SigurOnline Hotline is accredited by INHOPE, the international network uniting 57 hotlines from 52 countries worldwide. The service is managed by the International Center La Strada in partnership with the General Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova and private sector ICT companies. Its mission includes the identification, referral, notification, removal, and prevention of the redistribution of CSAM online. In 2024, the Hotline’s operation was made possible through the support of UNICEF Moldova, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Embassy of the United States in Chișinău. These partners have contributed to strengthening efforts to prevent and combat the sexual exploitation of children online, by enhancing institutional capacity, supporting professionals, and facilitating interinstitutional cooperation.

Between June 23–27, 2025, the 20th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2025) took place in Lillestrøm, Norway, a landmark global event in the field of digital governance, organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in collaboration with the Government of Norway. Recognized as the world’s most inclusive platform for dialogue on digital policy, the Forum brought together over 9,000 participants (both onsite and online) from around the globe — including parliamentarians and government officials, civil society experts, representatives of the private sector, intergovernmental and international organizations, the technical community, and youth — to explore future digital challenges and opportunities and to strengthen international cooperation on internet governance. Held under the overarching theme “Building Digital Governance Together” the Forum featured a five-day agenda comprising over 260 sessions. Structured around four thematic topics — digital trust and resilience; sustainable and responsible innovation; universal access and digital rights; and digital cooperation — the event addressed issues such as restoring trust in digital systems, adapting to an era shaped by artificial intelligence, evolving social media platforms, and the widespread threat of disinformation and malicious online content. The Republic of Moldova was represented at IGF 2025 by delegates from the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the General Police Inspectorate, and civil society organizations. The national delegation engaged in valuable bilateral discussions with Norwegian institutions actively involved in online safety and user rights protection. Moldova’s participation provided a meaningful opportunity to exchange knowledge and adopt best practices from other countries in areas such as online child protection, combating cybercrime, and leveraging technology to enhance public services. The Forum also served as a timely platform for constructive dialogue on digital rights — a priority area for the Republic of Moldova in the current geopolitical and technological context. Moldovan delegates took part in several networking sessions with counterparts from other countries, working together on concrete policy solutions to bridge the digital divide, safeguard human rights online, and promote inclusive innovation. They also shared concerns about the erosion of digital trust caused by the rapid spread of disinformation and harmful content online. Elena Botezatu, Executive Director of the International Center “La Strada” and member of the Moldovan delegation, noted: “The Republic of Moldova’s participation at IGF 2025 demonstrates that we are an active part of the global effort for open and inclusive digital governance. Being there, and knowing we are part of such a high-level platform, we were eager to contribute national perspectives while also learning from the experiences of other countries facing similar challenges. Digital challenges are global in nature, and that is why we are seeking global solutions — together with others who, like us, care deeply about the present and future of internet users. IGF 2025 offered us direct access to international best practices in online safety, child protection, digital inclusion, and other pressing issues. We also had productive bilateral meetings with Norwegian partners, which inspired us to consider practical adaptations for our own national policies and initiatives. We returned from Lillestrøm with the vision of a digital Moldova where safety, human rights, and innovation coexist in harmony — and we are determined to make that vision a reality.” This anniversary edition of the Internet Governance Forum also coincided with the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), a process led by the United Nations General Assembly aimed at assessing global progress in building a people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented information society, while enhancing global cooperation, coordination, and digital accountability. Strategically, IGF 2025 also supported the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, adopted by UN Member States in 2024, which calls for open and inclusive digital governance frameworks. The Republic of Moldova’s participation in this forum reflects the country’s commitment to aligning its national digital policies with international standards, while reinforcing cooperation with external partners to create a safe and inclusive digital space for all its citizens. The participation of the Moldovan delegation was organized by the International Center “La Strada”, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and with support from the U.S. Embassy in Chișinău.

100 police specialists – including investigative officers and criminal prosecution officers from various districts across the country – are participating between June 3–17, 2025, in Chișinău, in a series of four specialized training workshops focused on the effective investigation of child sexual abuse and exploitation cases, with an emphasis on the use of information and communication technologies. The agenda of the workshops was designed to encourage active participation and hands-on learning, inviting officers to collaborate, exchange ideas, and directly explore tools, scenarios, and trends from real-life cases of online child abuse and exploitation. The workshop facilitators covered a range of topics, including global and national trends in online child sexual abuse and exploitation, its various forms, risky online behaviors, and the psychological and emotional dimensions of the trauma experienced by child victims. The practical component of the workshops brought participants face-to-face with several key professional topics such as: investigative methods and tactics in online child sexual abuse and exploitation cases; the particularities of collecting digital evidence during criminal proceedings in such cases; and the importance of conducting victim interviews with empathy and accuracy, in conditions that minimize the risk of retraumatization. All of these efforts aim to strengthen the professional capacity of specialists to investigate digital child sexual abuse cases more effectively. “Workshops dedicated to law enforcement professionals in the country are consistently among our most anticipated activities. We are always pleased to see conscientious, engaged officers who are eager to deeply understand this extremely complex phenomenon. We are seeing that online child sexual exploitation and abuse is manifesting in increasingly sophisticated ways, which explains the growing interest among participants in identifying trends behind these crimes. Unfortunately, offenders are becoming more inventive, continuously evolving their tactics and strategies in line with technological developments. That’s precisely why we organize these training sessions—to enhance specialists’ ability to recognize, prevent, and respond effectively, always with the child’s best interest at heart” stated Veronica Maevschi, Program Director for Children at the International Center “La Strada.” According to data recorded by the INHOPE global network, of which the International Center “La Strada” is a member, in 2024, the Republic of Moldova ranked 15th globally in terms of hosted materials, with 19,593 items found on servers based in the country. Between January and December 2024 alone, the SigurOnline Hotline, operated by “La Strada” for reporting child sexual abuse materials, received 11,894 reports. The International Center “La Strada” has also made sustained efforts to identify and raise awareness of legislative gaps that currently allow for the hosting of a significant volume of child sexual abuse materials on servers located within Moldova. We express our hope that the competent authorities will respond promptly and responsibly, thereby contributing to the development of an effective legal framework to eliminate these vulnerabilities nationwide. These workshops are organized by the International Center “La Strada”, in partnership with the General Police Inspectorate and the “Ștefan cel Mare” Academy, as part of the project: “National Center for Online Child Safety in the Republic of Moldova – Establishing a Structured and Coordinated Framework to Respond to Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation,” implemented with the support of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.