Tim Tebow, Mike Waltz lead renewed effort to combat online child exploitation
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SPECIAL: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow on Thursday announced a renewed international effort to combat online child exploitation, bringing together government officials, law enforcement leaders and anti-human trafficking advocates like the Tebow foundation to strengthen cooperation against predators operating across borders.
Following the event, Waltz and Tebow answered questions exclusively from Fox News Digital, while Tebow warned parents that the threat is not limited to distant countries or the dark corners of the internet.
“It’s happening in their backyard,” Tebow told Fox News Digital when asked what would shock American parents most about child abuse today.
NEW MEXICO IS DEMANDING LARGE PUNISHMENT FROM META AFTER A JURY FINDS THE TECH GIANT RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING CHILDREN IN DANGER
Tim Tebow (center) and US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz (right) attend a briefing on combating the criminal use of technology for child abuse at the US Mission to the United Nations in New York. The event brought together government officials, law enforcement leaders and anti-trafficking advocates to discuss international efforts to combat child exploitation. (Don Conahan / USUN)
The event highlighted how the United States is collaborating with countries around the world to rescue exploited children, dismantle human trafficking networks, and prosecute child predators. Officials also noted recent international operations, new funding from Congress and a U.S.-led operation. UN resolution It targets online sextortion.
“The United States is leading the fight against child abuse in partnership with civil society groups like the Tim Tebow Foundation,” Waltz said during the event. “Child abuse offenders operate across borders, so a global response is critical. We must work together to protect our children from predators.”
Tebow said the danger children face online is something parents need to think about every day.
“If they’re unprotected, it’s like leaving them on the playground knowing that pedophiles are roaming around the playground,” he told Fox News Digital. “You would never do that.”
WHEN THE POLICE SAID A LACK OF PERSONNEL, THE FAMILY STOPPED THE ALLEGATION OF CHILD ABANDONMENT, THE INTERVENTION WAS DELAYED UP TO 40 MINUTES
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, left, and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow participate in a panel discussion during a briefing on combating the criminal use of technology for child abuse at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. (Donald Conahan / USUN)
He urged parents to take advantage of online safety tools and remain engaged with their children’s digital activities, saying predators are constantly looking for opportunities to exploit young victims.
“There are a lot of predators on the Internet that are looking for a vulnerability and access to a boy or girl so they can exploit them, lure them, groom them, and thus sexually abuse them,” Tebow said. “I truly believe this is one of the worst evils in the world.”
At the event, Tebow emphasized that child abuse requires international cooperation.
“Child abuse requires a global response as much as the threat itself,” he said. “Children all over the world are being harmed right now, and we can’t look away. No child should be invisible and no predator should be hiding.”
ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED FOR CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE CRIMINALS
Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow (left) poses with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz during a briefing on combating the criminal use of technology for child abuse at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. (Don Conahan / USUN)
Asked by Fox News Digital whether some countries are refusing to cooperate with U.S. investigations, Waltz said the larger problem is that many countries do not have the legal tools and investigative resources necessary to pursue child abuse cases.
“I don’t know of any countries that refuse to cooperate,” Waltz said. “But what I can tell you is that there are countries all over the world. [where] There are no laws on the books that make these things crimes. There are no return agreements. “They don’t have prosecutors or investigators who know how to properly handle electronic evidence.”
added the USA agencies and United Nations partners are working to help countries strengthen these capabilities through education and international cooperation.
Waltz also argued that migration and human trafficking are closely linked, and that vulnerable girls are often exploited by criminal organizations along their migration routes.
The Tim Tebow Foundation was founded in 2010 with the mission of combating human trafficking and child exploitation. (Tim Tebow Foundation)
Tebow added that investigators around the world continue to face great difficulty identifying victims because criminals deliberately try to avoid detection.
“When we talk about that, too, there are a lot of places that are underfunded, underequipped, and it takes some education and understanding of what’s going on online so that we can best leverage victim identity,” Tebow said. “Victim identification specialists are truly experts. They are incredible at what they do because the perpetrators of this evil are not trying to get caught.”
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“So it takes truly special people to understand them, find them, and then bring them to justice. More importantly, free that child.”
Cooperation between the US Mission to the United Nations, Tim Tebow Foundation and international law enforcement partners aim to strengthen cross-border efforts to combat child abuse through expanded cooperation, technology and coordinated investigations.
