Dr Zoe Hilton is the NSPCC’s policy lead on a range of child protection issues including child protection and new technologies, sexual abuse and exploitation, child trafficking and offender management.

Dr Hilton regularly represents the interests of the NSPCC and also works actively within CHIS (the Children’s Charities Coalition on Internet Safety) to campaign and lobby on child safety issues in the online environment. Dr Hilton is also a thematic lead on sexual abuse on the internet for the new eNACSO network funded by the EU and sits on the management committee.  She is now involved in shaping this network of NGO’s in sharing expertise and delivering consensus on internet safety issues to strengthen the voice of children’s organisations across Europe. 

Prior to joining the NSPCC, Dr Hilton researched and lectured in social policy at the Heriot-Watt University, where she also completed her PhD in Sociology and Criminology.  Dr Hilton has authored and published several papers and articles about the experiences of children and young people.

29 September, Tuesday, 11.30 – 12.00

Plenary session: Using blocking to combat online child abuse images: necessary protection or unjustified restriction?  

Child abuse images ('child pornography') are a visual record of the sexual abuse of a child. Child abuse material has rapidly increased in prevalence on the internet, and the severity of the abuse shown in the images is worsening. Sexual abuse can have a devastating effect on children and can impact on people throughout their lives. When images of the abuse are put on the internet, and may be replicated and downloaded an unlimited number of times, this knowledge has an additional effect on the victims involved.

Blocking is a means of disrupting child abuse image distribution and viewing. It involves Internet Service Providers (ISPs) using technologies to ‘block’ sites known to contain child abuse images. This means that anyone accessing the internet through that ISP cannot view sites containing child abuse images which are blocked, whichever country the sites are based in. Where they exist, blocking mechanisms function on a national basis and differ from country to country.