Ida Östensson: “Children are exploited if no one intervenes”

You have worked with norm change for many years and in various contexts. What made the fight against commercial sexual exploitation of children particularly important to you personally?

Ida: I was one of the founders of the Fatta movement, which was an important player in Sweden’s 2018 consent law. One thing we missed in that fight was the abuse where the perpetrator uses some form of compensation as a means of power, i.e., sexual exploitation. In other words, I feel I have a wrong to right. I have now worked for the foundation for over six years, and unfortunately the issue has become more relevant than ever.

Which of your campaigns do you feel has had the greatest impact and in what way?

Ida: The first thing we did when I came in was a fake sugardating site, hyrflickvän.nu, which gained enormous traction both on social media and in the press. It created a conversation about the repackaging and glorification that the sex industry is doing to lure in children and young people and started the debate about digital brothels that we are now in the process of bringing to a close by shutting them down. We have had major campaigns on grooming in gaming such as Unusual Suspects and the Grooming Generator. Brottsplats also received enormous attention. It’s hard to choose! But if we look at total reach globally and actual impact measured in change, perhaps the autumn and winter work to shut down sites that market, enable, or normalize abuse against children wins!

You describe sexual exploitation as a systemic problem. When did that insight become clear to you in your work with ChildX?

Ida: Unfortunately, it becomes clearer every day I work. Every part requires change. Not even one in a thousand children who are abused are identified, there are no national guidelines for these children, and the young people who are found say themselves that they are not treated as victims of crime. Legislation lags behind and does not protect children who are abused where compensation is used in the same way as it protects other children. The basic problem is that society does not see it as violence if a child has received something in exchange. We are working hard to change that as it is the perpetrator’s best weapon. And on top of that, the adult world is sitting in the stands and has no idea that this affects nearly two children in every 9th grade class and that one in four children has been subjected to grooming attempts before the age of 15. The solutions that come from the tech companies place the responsibility on the children and parents – and unfortunately, we who work with this know that it will not solve anything. So yes, the whole system needs to be shaken up, informed, and rebuilt from the ground up. And then the system needs to work together.

There are periods when the resistance to your work is strong. What makes you still able to continue your work and pursue these issues?

Ida: All the successes and the knowledge that we are actually changing the lives of so many. AND my fantastic team and everyone I get the opportunity to collaborate with, from our ambassadors, founders circle, partner companies, politicians, other organizations, and professionals who are passionate about the same thing as us at ChildX. That children’s bodies should never be for sale.

ChildX has a large network of ambassadors who have chosen to use their voice for children’s right to protection. What does their commitment say about the difference an individual can make?

Ida: Everything. Our ambassadors come from all corners of society, and that makes it impossible to turn a blind eye to these issues. When a person with reach chooses to take a stand, hundreds of others are also awakened. When they share campaigns and put pressure on politicians, it creates conversations and meetings that would otherwise never happen. That’s how laws are changed, sites are shut down, and children get help.
An individual’s voice is not only individual, it becomes structural. And that makes the work not only more effective, but also more fun!

Ida with seven of ChildX ambassadors. Photo: Sophie Garcia

Which parts of ChildX’s work will be most important during the coming year and what is required to implement them?

Ida: Now we must ensure that the issue of closing down sites that enable, market, and normalize abuse against children is not allowed to operate in Sweden anyway, all the way to the finish line. We are also close to a breakthrough with the outdated child pornography legislation, which today, among other things, is based on how far a child has developed puberty in its classification of whether it counts as a crime. That must change. And our long struggle to get national guidelines and good support for those who are exposed is also starting to move, and we will follow it closely. What is required? More resources in the form of partnerships, philanthropy, monthly donors, and that more raise their voices.

For those who read this and are considering giving a gift or becoming a monthly donor: why is it important that they act and what happens if they don’t?

Ida: Because children are exploited if no one acts. It’s not more complicated than that. Abuse continues because we as a society allow it through passivity, inadequate laws, and companies that prioritize profits over children.
To give is to choose to act when others stand by passively. Each giver makes an intervention possible and shifts the boundary of what is allowed. That’s how we stop exploitation and abuse, and when we do it together, it can go fast.