KEY POINTS
- Adam Qasib Habib, a UK citizen, was sentenced to 13 years for trafficking and sexually exploiting a 14-year-old Johannesburg girl through social media platforms.
- Over 300 million children are targeted for online sexual exploitation annually, with southern and eastern Africa particularly affected.
- The victim’s family expressed gratitude for the conviction, which they hope will aid their daughter’s healing and prevent Habib from harming others.
The Johannesburg High Court has sentenced Adam Qasib Habib, a 26-year-old UK citizen, to 13 years in prison for the online sexual abuse and trafficking of a 14-year-old Johannesburg teenager.
The online sexual abuse crimes, which took place between 2021 and 2022, involved Habib grooming the victim through social media platforms, including the now-defunct Omegle, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.
Habib was found guilty of online sexual abuse in January 2025 on eight counts, including trafficking, creation and possession of child pornography, and compelled self-sexual assault. The court ruled that recruiting a child for sexual purposes constituted trafficking, marking a significant legal precedent in South Africa.
“The act of recruiting a child for sexual purposes amounted to trafficking,” said acting judge Cornelius Coertse during the sentencing. “The harm caused to this innocent teenager by an adult man who groomed and exploited her for his pleasure is immeasurable.”
The victim, who cannot be named due to her age at the time of the crimes, was targeted by Habib, who posed as a teenage boy.
According to Timeslive, he isolated her from her family and friends, bombarded her with sexually explicit and misogynistic messages, and coerced her into creating and sending self-sexual abuse images and videos.
The victim’s family described how their once-happy daughter was manipulated and traumatized by Habib. “He exposed her to pornography and induced her to create and send self-sexual abuse images and videos,” the family said in a statement. They expressed gratitude to the state prosecutor and judge for securing the conviction, which they hope will allow their daughter to begin healing.
Tabitha Lage, founder of the Hope Risen Foundation, which provided counseling to the victim and her family, hailed the judgment as a landmark victory for vulnerable children. “The judge recognized the profound harm caused to this young girl and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable,” she said.
Global crisis of online child exploitation
The online sexual abuse case highlights the growing global crisis of online child sexual exploitation. According to Childlight, a global organization combating child abuse, over 300 million children—one in eight globally—were subjected to online sexual solicitation in 2024 alone. In southern and eastern Africa, approximately 20% of children have been exposed to online grooming and sexual abuse.
This case is part of a disturbing trend of online exploitation. In January 2025, Darren Wilken was arrested in South Africa for possessing 10 million images and videos of child sexual abuse. Similarly, a couple accused of selling child sexual abuse material was denied bail earlier this year, underscoring the urgent need for international collaboration to combat this scourge.
“Cases of online abuse are registered every 10 seconds,” said a Childlight spokesperson. “The internet has become a hunting ground for predators, and children are increasingly vulnerable.”
