The pandemic is causing an exponential rise in the online exploitation of children, experts say
By Fernando Alfonso III, CNN
Updated 0659 GMT (1459 HKT) May 25, 2020
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) says it has seen the number of reports of children being abused online soar four-fold during the pandemic.
(CNN) At first glance, Shelley Allwang's cubicle looks just like any other office space.
But alongside a pinboard full of tchotchkes and a photo of her dog, sits a story that reminds Allwang of the importance of her job, now more than ever.
"The Boy and The Starfish" is about a boy tossing beached starfish back into the ocean, saving just one at a time.
Allwang doesn't work with starfish. But as a program manager at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), her day-to-day job involves helping children who are abused online.
The story is a reminder to Allwang of perseverance in the face of difficult odds; there will always be more starfish to pick up, like there will always be more children who need help. The story has taken on added significance in recent weeks, as Allwang has watched the number of reports of children being abused online soar four-fold.
In April of 2019, the NCMEC received roughly 1 million reports. Last month, it saw more than 4.1 million come in via its CyberTipline, according to data provided to CNN.
"The volume is overwhelming and it can be very daunting. It can feel like a constant pressure and that it's never going to end," Allwang told CNN in a phone interview. "But every single time we send out a report, every single time there's a child rescued, we're making a difference for that child."
Shelley Allwang, her desk seen here, works on a team of roughly 80 people at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children who have all had their attention set on its CyberTipline recently.
Officials at the center attribute the exponential increase in reports, which was seen in March as well, to a confluence of circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"The pandemic is having an effect," John Shehan, vice president of NCMEC's Exploited Children Division, told CNN. "There are some very bad actors out there who are preying on this opportunity of more kids at home and online with parents who are having to juggle homeschooling and work."
An increasingly tech-savvy population of minors, combined with millions of students engaged in remote learning and more adults spending time online than ever before has created more opportunities for children to be exploited, Shehan said.