Child protection hotlines are at risk – and so are the children they protect

This is a guest blog written by Samantha Woolfe, ED of INHOPE for WeProtect Global Alliance

Across Europe, a critical line of defence against tech-facilitated child sexual abuse is under threat. Hotlines, the services that allow the public to report child sexual abuse material (CSAM), are facing significant funding cuts. Without urgent action, some may close entirely while others are reduced to a fraction of their capacity, leaving children less safe.

Why hotlines matter

Hotlines are the engine of online child protection. They receive reports from the public, assess illegal content, and ensure rapid removal while alerting law enforcement. This helps identify victims, stop ongoing abuse, and prevent re‑victimisation.

Where a hotline exists, abusive material is removed in an average of 1.4 days. Without one, it can take 41 days.

A growing crisis

Right now, 14 Safer Internet Centres, including 12 hotlines, are at risk of losing EU funding.

The consequences are already visible. Some services face complete closure, leaving no national reporting pathway. Others could lose up to 80% of their capacity. Large volumes of reports risk going unprocessed or delayed.

At the same time, these at-risk countries account for more than half of global CSAM hosting and over 11% of worldwide reports. This is not just a European issue – it’s a global one.

Without hotlines, the public has nowhere to report abuse. Law enforcement loses critical intelligence flows, harmful content stays online longer, and fewer children are identified and protected. In simple terms: no reporting means no removal. And no protection.

INHOPE’s call to action

This is a preventable crisis, but only if action is taken now. INHOPE are calling on decision makers at both European and national level to act urgently to safeguard these essential services:

• The European Commission must explore all available mechanisms (including emergency funding and reallocation) to prevent hotline closures
• National governments must secure stable, long-term funding for hotlines as a legal and moral responsibility
• Digital Services Coordinators must prioritise the designation of hotlines as Trusted Flaggers under the Digital Services Act.

Hotlines only work if they exist. The decisions made now will determine whether abuse is reported, removed, and investigated, or left unchecked. Click here for INHOPE’s full Policy Statement.