Sex abuse charity boss arrested on child pornography charges
Joel Davis also accused of soliciting undercover FBI agent for sex with children

A leading youth campaigner against rape and sexual violence has been arrested for possession of child pornography and attempting to arrange sexual encounters with children.
Joel Davis, 22, co-founder of advocacy group Youth to End Sexual Violence and a former UN youth ambassador for Sexual Violence in Conflict, appeared in court in Manhattan on Tuesday.
He has been charged with enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, as well as child pornography offences.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In text exchanges with FBI agents posing as paedophiles, Davis “allegedly arranged to meet the nine-year-old daughter of one of the undercover agents and with the purported two-year-old daughter of the officer's girlfriend”, the Daily Mail reports.
Child pornography, including images of infants and toddlers being abused, was allegedly also found in his possession.
Police said that, during questioning after his arrest, Davis “admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in the past and keeping child porn images on his phone”, NBC reports.
Davis is currently listed on his LinkedIn profile as director of the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict, a project founded in 2012 by Nobel laureates which now involves more than 5,000 people and organisations.
“In the same period he exchanged messages with the undercover agents, Davis also addressed an independently-organised TED conference, explaining that his first job was to transcribe the testimony of rape victims in Congo,” news agency BNO News reports.
In a statement, FBI assistant director William F. Sweeney Jr. said that Davis’ alleged crimes indicate “the highest degree of hypocrisy” in light of his public profile as a defender of sexually-exploited youth.
“As if this wasn't repulsive enough, Davis allegedly possessed and distributed utterly explicit images of innocent infants and toddlers being sexually abused by adults,” Sweeney said.
US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said that the conduct alleged against Davis is “as unfathomable as it is sickening”.
Davis has yet to enter a plea to the charges.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The best time of year to buy a car
Some months — and days — are better than others
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Today's political cartoons - April 15, 2025
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - stock market instability, Blue Origin, and more
By The Week US
-
The violent turn 'pedophile hunters' have taken in the US
In the Spotlight These influencers have taken catching predators to another level
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
France's 'reckoning' over largest-ever child sex abuse trial
The Explainer Joël Le Scouarnec case is latest in a series of high-profile scandals to have prompted 'deep soul searching'
By The Week Staff
-
The rise of child 'witchcraft' cases in the UK
Under the Radar Faith-based child abuse, centred on accusations of witchcraft and demonic possessions, has harmed thousands of children
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK
-
The missed opportunities to save Sara Sharif
Talking Point After each horrific child abuse case, we hear that lessons will be learnt. What is still missing?
By The Week UK
-
Texas set to execute dad in disputed 'shaken baby' case
Speed Read Robert Roberson's hotly contested execution would be the first ever tied to shaken baby syndrome
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Landmark report calls for compensation for child abuse victims
Speed Read Institutions ignored allegations and prioritised their own reputations, finds seven-year inquiry
By Fred Kelly
-
Telford inquiry: unease about race meant mass sex abuse ignored
Speed Read Three-year inquiry described police inaction over abuse as a 'shocking failure'
By Richard Windsor
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
By The Week Staff