PRECISION Project
In PRECISION, we want to strengthen the child protection ecosystem in Spain and abroad.
96.5% of Spanish children aged 10-15 use the Internet (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2025)
MISSION
Our mission is to prevent sexual cyber-violence against children in Spain through world-leading research, the development of ethical technology, and close collaboration with those working on the frontline of child protection. We apply scientific knowledge to practical tools that enable families and child protection professionals, especially educators, to identify risks at an early stage, respond effectively, and create safer digital environments.
VISION
Our vision is of a world where all children can participate in digital life without experiencing sexual exploitation or abuse, supported by a child protection ecosystem that prioritises prevention, is grounded in rigorous research, and is strengthened through cross-sector collaboration.
Annual growth in cases of sexual cyber-violence
71.4% of cybercrime cases in Spain are sexual crimes against children (Ministry of the Interior, 2023).
Three in four children have never told their parents that they have experienced sexual cyber-violence (Fundación Mutua and Equipo Mujer-Menor, 2024).
The global network of child sexual exploitation and abuse reporting hotlines, INHOPE, received more than 2.5 million reports of child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM) in 2024.
The figure rose by 218% compared to 2023.
Source: Prepared internally based on the INHOPE report (2025)
Data corroborating the increase in the incidence of sexual cyber-violence against children in Spain in recent years
161 cases assisted
According to Fundación Anar (Help for Children and Adolescents at Risk), a leading child protection association in Spain and Latin America that is collaborating on this project, in 2024, they assisted 765 cases of sexual cyber-violence against children.
1,531 known incidents/year
In its latest 2025 report (p. 14), the Spanish Ministerio del Interior reports a total of 1,531 recorded incidents of cyber-offences against the sexual freedom of children (including online grooming, CSAEM, and the online distribution/dissemination of content that promotes prostitution-related offences or offences against the sexual freedom of children).
84.2% of minors
According to Informe sobre delitos contra la libertad sexual. España 2024 (Ministerio del Interior, 2025), children are the age group most affected by sexual cyber-crime.
The dangers of AI
The centralised online child exploitation reporting system, CyberTipline, notes that reports related to the creation and dissemination of CSAEM through generative AI increased by 1325% between 2023 and 2024.
In Spain, Save the Children, in its study Redes que atrapan (2024), considers it necessary to raise awareness about the dangers of AI. In workshops with teenagers, they found:
Source: Save the Children (2024)
The Spanish Ministerio del Interior, in its Informe sobre delitos contra la libertad sexual en España 2024 (2025), indicates that 41% of victims of sexual violence in Spain are children, most of whom are between 0 and 13 years old and, for the most part, girls.
Source: Prepared internally based on data from the Ministerio del Interior (2025)
Why what we do at PRECISION matters
Urgent action is needed. The prevalence of sexual cyber-violence against children continues to rise worldwide, and children face risks that are evolving faster than traditional protection systems can keep up with. In Spain (2024 figures):
• 75% of children report having experienced sexual cyber-violence.
• A similar proportion of children never disclose these experiences of abuse to their parents or caregivers.
Collaboration for change
Education professionals, social workers, law enforcement officers, and health professionals say they feel overwhelmed by the high volume of cases and the increasingly sophisticated methods used by cybercriminals. Parents and caregivers feel ill-equipped to help protect their children from online sexual violence. Prevention requires more than good intentions: it demands rigorous research, cross-sector collaboration, and sustainable structural change.
A project based on...
-
Cutting-edge linguistic research revealing how sexual cyber-violence against children and adolescents develops in digital interactions.
-
Experience in interdisciplinary research in areas such as linguistics, psychology, education, criminology, and computer science.
-
Collaboration with key stakeholders, ensuring that solutions are realistic, viable, and based on real experiences.
-
Advocacy for reform of the system so that prevention becomes a fundamental pillar of child protection.
If you would like to collaborate with the team and support the work of the project, please do not hesitate to contact us at: projectprecision@upv.es
Project schedule
PHASE 1 - Foundational work
A comprehensive research program on sexual cyber-violence against children that examines:
- Media discourse on sexual cyber-violence against children
- Judicial perspectives on sexual cyber-violence against children
- Regulatory frameworks to keep children and adolescents safer online
- Accounts of experiences of sexual (cyber)violence during childhood
- Tactics of sexual grooming
- Communicative behaviour of children in contexts of sexual cyber-violence
- Online sexual harmful exchanges between children
The discovery work for the design of the PRECISION toolkit includes:
- Input from young people, child protection professionals, and parents/caregivers
- Cross-sectoral analysis of child protection needs
PHASE 2 - Development of the PRECISION Toolkit prototype
- Face-to-face co-creation workshops with educators, parents/caregivers, and young people.
- Iterative user experience (UX) testing with educators, parents/caregivers, and young people.
PHASE 3 - Pilot testing and evaluation of the PRECISION Toolkit
• PRECISION Toolkit deployment (Spain)
• International adaptation (discovery)
PHASE 4 - Deployment of the PRECISION Toolkit
- Nationwide implementation (Spain)
- International pilot implementation (2–3 countries)
Who We Are
About the team
PRECISION’s strength lies in its interdisciplinary team with extensive experience and international recognition in the fields of digital communication, forensic linguistics, education, legal studies, and computer science.