Israel launched new online service to report online child abuse

The Israeli Ministry of National Security announced on 18 June a new initiative to keep children safe on the internet through the creation of an online service where parents and children can report harmful activity directly. Users can attach screenshots, documents, photos, and videos, if necessary, to their reports using the form provided, currently available in Hebrew and Arabic. Through this service, anyone can report any case of online harm to minors directly to the Israel Police’s Unit 105, which deals specifically with children’s online safety.

To reduce violence and harm to children online, the Ministry of National Security has been working with TikTok Israel, Google Israel, and Meta, among others, to encourage more people to report online. The initiative also aims to be helpful for a more diverse range of populations and children and parents with special needs.

Unit 105 already operates a telephone hotline (accessible by dialing 105 from anywhere in Israel) designed for people to report those causing harm to children. The initiative is operated jointly by the National Security Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Health Ministry, and the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee. According to the Israel Police, there have been approximately 45,000 cases of abuse of minors on the hotline since the establishment of the hotline in 2018.