A new collaboration in Aberdeen seeks to harness professional expertise to combat the growing threats of online child exploitation and human trafficking, underscoring the critical role of community awareness and informed action.
A strategic alliance has formed in Aberdeen, bringing together redM Aberdeen, a local chapter of a global anti-exploitation movement, and CyberSafe Scotland, a specialist social enterprise focused on children’s online safety. This partnership aims to leverage professional networks to elevate public awareness and foster preventative measures against the insidious crimes of online child exploitation and human trafficking.
The collaboration comes at a crucial time, as the digital landscape presents escalating risks to vulnerable individuals, particularly children. In Scotland alone, reports of online offences against children surged by 511% between 2015 and 2021. Recent data from 2024 indicates that online child sexual abuse in England and Wales has increased by 26% within a single year, accounting for 51,672 recorded crimes. Disturbingly, nearly six in ten instances of child sexual abuse found online by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in 2022 involved children aged 11 to 13, with over one in three targeting those aged seven to ten.
The UK government has responded with the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA), a landmark piece of legislation designed to make the UK “the safest place in the world to be online.” The Act imposes new duties on social media companies and search services, holding them accountable for user safety, especially for children. Ofcom, the independent regulator, is tasked with setting out codes of practice to ensure platforms prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content. The child safety regime is expected to be fully operational by Summer 2025, with further plans confirmed in June 2026 to block social media services for under-16s by Spring 2027. However, despite these legislative efforts, an estimated 77% of children aged 9-17 experienced some form of online harm in 2026, an 8% increase from the previous year.
CyberSafe Scotland, founded in 2018 by Annabel Turner, is at the forefront of tackling these digital threats. The social enterprise prioritises listening to children and young people, integrating their experiences into its online safety initiatives. Its flagship “Respected and Safe” programme delivers education, targeted interventions, and support for schools and parents to reduce online abuse, harassment, and exploitation. Annabel Turner, Founder & Director, CyberSafe Scotland, emphasised the importance of this child-centric approach, stating: “Children’s voices, rights and lived experiences must be at the heart of online safety. Support for schools and professional awareness are vital in helping communities understand and respond to online risks. We’re delighted to work with redM Aberdeen to help enable this important work to continue, raising awareness, sharing specialist knowledge and turning understanding into action.”
Beyond online child safety, the partnership also addresses the pervasive issue of human trafficking and exploitation. The wider redM movement, established in Houston in 2018 and now with over 15 chapters globally, focuses on human trafficking in all its forms, aiming to resource professionals, empower society, develop leaders, and build a movement for change.
Human trafficking, encompassing slavery, servitude, forced labour, and sexual exploitation, does not always involve crossing international borders and impacts individuals of all nationalities, including British citizens. Statistics for Scotland highlight the growing challenge; referrals of potential victims to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) increased from 145 in 2015 to 920 in 2024. In 2024, 664 adults and 256 children in Scotland were identified as potential victims, with labour exploitation being the most common indicator for adults and criminal exploitation for children.
The legal framework for tackling these crimes in the UK includes the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015, which created specific criminal offences and mandate transparency statements from large commercial organisations. Despite these measures, the Home Office estimates that identified victims represent only the “tip of the iceberg,” with 10,000 to 13,000 victims across the UK.
redM Aberdeen’s role in this critical landscape is not to deliver direct child protection services, but to act as a catalyst for awareness and engagement. The chapter leverages its extensive professional network to educate, stimulate dialogue, and connect specialists with a broader audience. Grant Wallace, Chapter Lead – redM Aberdeen, articulated this symbiotic relationship: “redM’s focus is human trafficking and exploitation in all its forms. Our role is to bring professionals together, raise awareness and help people understand the issues affecting vulnerable people in our communities. CyberSafe Scotland brings specialist expertise in children’s online safety. By amplifying their work through our professional network, we can help more people understand the risks, start conversations and know where to find specialist support. Everyone has something to contribute. Sometimes it starts simply by becoming more informed.”
This partnership exemplifies a model where professional networks can bolster specialist organisations, preventing duplication of effort while maximising reach and impact. By fostering informed, connected communities, redM Aberdeen and CyberSafe Scotland aim to empower individuals to recognise risks and act decisively, embodying the principle that prevention begins with awareness, connection creates opportunity, and action drives change.
