The 16 Days of Activism campaign may have concluded, but child-protection organisations warn that the dangers it highlighted remain urgent and increasingly severe.
As public focus shifts, the Tiona Megan Moodley and Darren Gavin Wilken case has thrust South Africa into the centre of a global crisis.
Experts say it underscores the extent to which digital crimes have outpaced laws, safety systems, and the capacity of platforms to protect children.
It is also revealed that the rapid spread of child sexual exploitation online, much of it taking place on mainstream platforms where children themselves are active.
The pair face charges relating to possession, distribution, transmission, and commercial exploitation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), alongside allegations of unlawful interception of data, fraud, drug possession, organised crime, and money laundering.
Authorities seized an unprecedented 39 terabytes of illegal material linked to the pair, alongside charges involving unlawful interception of data, drug possession, organised crime, money laundering, and fraud.
Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA), which has been closely monitoring the case, says the sheer volume of evidence shows the magnitude of the crisis.
WMACA Advocacy stated: “The sheer scale of the material recovered – every image, every video – represents an act of real violence against a real child.”
They added, “Today’s indictment is not the end point. It is the beginning of a long, necessary journey toward systemic accountability in the digital-crime ecosystem.”
“Behind the 39 terabytes of seized material are thousands of children who will never stand in a courtroom to identify their abusers. The trajectory of this case offers a rare and meaningful signal of hope: that South Africa is beginning to treat digital violence not as a peripheral cyber-offence, but as a core child-protection crisis demanding the highest prosecutorial urgency.”
A recent report by the Centre for Analytics & Behavioural Change (CABC) shared with the Saturday Star has found that child sexual abuse material is openly traded on widely used platforms, including X, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
Researcher Kyle Janse explained and said, “What we uncovered is not hidden in the dark web; it is happening in the open. Child pornographic material is being advertised, exchanged, and sold for cash in spaces that anyone, including children, can access.”
Janse emphasised that tech companies must overhaul their safety systems:
“Platforms are not just failing to stop this; in some cases, their own AI systems are helping predators find each other. That is a catastrophic systems failure that demands urgent action. Every day this material circulates, children are being harmed, retraumatised, and commodified. It is not enough to suspend accounts; systemic safeguards must be built into platforms to shut down this vile trade. Without immediate systemic change, South Africa’s children will remain for sale to the highest bidder online.”
Child-protection specialists also warn that digital exploitation causes ongoing, repeated harm.
Jason Cogill, CEO of the National Freedom Network, describes online exploitation as a “continuing violation”.
“Digital exploitation is not an isolated crime; it is regrettably a continuous systemic violation, as it not only affects the one victim but potentially many more victims. The effects are long-lasting due to victims enduring psychological trauma, their dignity being impaired, privacy issues and essentially, maybe most importantly, re-victimisation. The aforementioned multiplies the harm far beyond the initial act.”
Cogill added, “Online or digital violence is lasting and has a profound impact on the victim and continues to inflict harm long after the violation ends. Victims are continuously violated when these images are viewed; it magnifies exploitation and harm to the victims. As previously stated, the re-victimisation is real and continuous and has a long-lasting effect on the victim and their loved ones.”
“Strict bail conditions are important to ensure the safety of victims from their alleged perpetrators while cases are still being investigated. We should support survivors and advocacy organisations and demand that tech platforms and policymakers be held liable for their online platforms,” he said.
Activist Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, co-founder of Embrace Dignity, warns that digital sexual exploitation feeds into broader patterns of gender-based violence, trafficking, and harmful social norms.
“Firstly, the images are of real sexual abuse of innocent children. These are primary victims of the abuse, whose lives are ruined or taken away at a young age. These victims in turn may become abusers themselves. The danger is young boys disrespecting girls and women and entrenching misogynistic patriarchal attitudes as men. Young girls are in danger of expecting to be dominated and abused by men.”
Madlala-Routledge says digital exploitation is often an entry point into trafficking and warns that failure to act will deepen patriarchal attitudes and harmful behaviour among young people.
“Digital violence will perpetuate patriarchal attitudes, which will in turn perpetuate digital violence, prostitution and trafficking, a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. We must act NOW to protect the children from exposure and abuse through social media.”
She further added that families need support: “Parents have the primary responsibility to educate and monitor their children on the harms of social media. To do so, they need education and resources on the harms of digital child abuse. A child-friendly helpline may be helpful.”
Saturday Star