This research note calls attention to the urgent need for clearer conceptualisation and cross-sector collaboration in addressing the emergence of Com networks. These are decentralised online networks, or communities, that combine elements of sexual exploitation, misogyny, violence, and extremism. These communities, often operating across mainstream and encrypted platforms, facilitate the circulation of extreme, violent, and sexually abusive content. Participants, predominantly young males, pursue notoriety, control, and belonging, while algorithmic amplification fosters escalation and desensitisation. Com networks illustrate what has been termed by Marc-André Argentino and colleagues as the hybridisation of harms, where distinctions between sexual, criminal, and ideological motivations are increasingly blurred. The involvement of young people both as victims and coerced perpetrators highlights the need for trauma-informed, gender-aware, and developmentally sensitive approaches to prevention and disengagement. Traditional frameworks for understanding radicalisation and online sexual exploitation are insufficient for this complex and fluid threat landscape. This note argues that recognising and responding to Com networks requires interdisciplinary collaboration between law enforcement, clinicians, and researchers, and a shift toward integrated digital safety and public health strategies. Addressing this convergence of harms is critical for reducing risks of violence and radicalisation among vulnerable youth.
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