Nina Carberry urges EU to criminalise severe online abuse
Nina Carberry addresses the European Parliament about the urgent need to extend Ireland's protections against severe online abuse across the EU. She cites deepfake sexual abuse, a new harmful network called The Calm, and the campaign led by Jacqui Fox after her daughter Nicole's suicide as reasons for immediate action.
Nina Carberry warns that online abuse is not limited to name-calling: last year 1.2 million children across 11 countries reported being targeted by deepfake sexual abuse. She highlights new police reports about an online network called The Calm encouraging children as young as seven and eight to self-harm and harm others, and stresses that clear action is needed urgently.
Carberry describes how Jacqui Fox turned personal tragedy into policy after her daughter Nicole died by suicide following sustained online bullying. That campaign resulted in Ireland's Coco's law criminalising severe online abuse and non-consensual sharing of intimate images - protections Carberry says should be adopted across the EU.
As an MEP, Carberry directly asks the Commissioner to back an EU-wide extension of these protections, arguing that the determination shown in Ireland must be matched at European level. The speech frames the policy debate around child safety, deepfake abuse, emergent online threats and the need for harmonised criminal law across member states.
Immediate concern
Nina Carberry warns that online abuse is not limited to name-calling: last year 1.2 million children across 11 countries reported being targeted by deepfake sexual abuse. She highlights new police reports about an online network called The Calm encouraging children as young as seven and eight to self-harm and harm others, and stresses that clear action is needed urgently.
Irish precedent and personal story
Carberry describes how Jacqui Fox turned personal tragedy into policy after her daughter Nicole died by suicide following sustained online bullying. That campaign resulted in Ireland's Coco's law criminalising severe online abuse and non-consensual sharing of intimate images - protections Carberry says should be adopted across the EU.
European responsibility and next steps
As an MEP, Carberry directly asks the Commissioner to back an EU-wide extension of these protections, arguing that the determination shown in Ireland must be matched at European level. The speech frames the policy debate around child safety, deepfake abuse, emergent online threats and the need for harmonised criminal law across member states.
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Transcript
Thank you, Madam President. Imagine a child too frightened to walk into their classroom, too frightened to face someone abusing them online. Around one in four young people in Ireland experience it. And it goes beyond bullying. Last year, 1.2 million children across 11 countries reported being targeted by deepfake sexual abuse. These numbers are horrifying. And just this week, European police raised serious concerns about a growing online network, The Calm, encouraging children as young as seven and eight to self-harm and to harm others. Clear action is needed urgently. In Ireland, Jacqui Fox has led the way. After her daughter, Nicole, died by suicide following sustained online bullying, Jacqui turned unimaginable grief into action. Her campaign led to COCA's law criminalising severe online abuse and sharing of intimate images without consent. That same protection must now be extended across the entire EU. So, Commissioner, just as Jacqui showed the determination in Ireland, Europe must now show the same resolve now. Thank you.