A victim of child sexual abuse has begged Elon Musk to stop links offering images of her abuse being posted on his social media platform X. Hearing that my abuse - and the abuse of so many others - is still being circulated and commodified here is infuriating, says Zora (not her real name) who lives in the United States and was first abused more than 20 years ago. Every time someone sells or shares child abuse material, they directly fuel the original, horrific abuse. X says it has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material and tackling those who exploit children remains a top priority. The BBC found images of Zora while investigating the global trade of child sex abuse material, estimated to be worth billions of dollars by Childlight, the Global Child Safety Institute. This material was among a cache of thousands of similar photos and videos being offered for sale on an X account. We established contact with a trader through the messaging app Telegram, which led us to a bank account linked to a person in Jakarta, Indonesia. Zora was first abused by a family member. A collection of images of her abuse have become infamous among paedophiles who collect and trade such content. Many other victims face the same situation, as images of abuse continue to circulate today. Zora is angered the trade continues to this day. My body is not a commodity. It never has been, and it never will be, she says. Those who distribute this material are not passive bystanders, they are complicit perpetrators. In tracking the account on X that dispersed Zora's images, it was discovered that the images were originally only available on the dark web but are now promoted openly on social media. Despite efforts to remove such illegal content, the scales remain tipped in favor of the traffickers, with users easily creating new accounts after detection. Zora's story serves as a poignant reminder of the real-life impact of such digital crimes, and her cry for action underscores the urgent need for effective measures by social media companies.
Child Abuse Survivor Calls for Action Against Trafficking of Images
Child Abuse Survivor Calls for Action Against Trafficking of Images
A victim of child sexual abuse has urged Elon Musk to remove links to her images circulating on his social media platform, X, highlighting the ongoing trauma faced by survivors.
In an emotional plea, Zora, a victim of child sexual abuse, has called on Elon Musk to address the alarming circulation of images depicting her abuse on the platform X. The BBC investigation reveals that such images are often traded on social media, exacerbating the trauma of victims like Zora, who emphasizes that her body should not be treated as a commodity. Despite assurances of zero tolerance for child abuse material from X, the proliferation of such content remains a pressing issue.
