Sexual extortion — or sextortion — is a
"major growing trend" in the online exploitation of children, according
to the EU’s policing agency.
Europol also predicted a rise in the streaming of live images of child abuse, with some paid-for services allowing perpetrators to orchestrate and view the abuse in real time. www.europol.eu
www.letsomeoneknow.ie & www.teenline.ie & www.spunout.ie & www.garda.ie
An analysis of online crime show underground regions of the internet,
such as a darknet, allow users to communicate freely without the risk of
being traced.
It said this was of primary interest to criminals who “abuse such anonymity” on a massive scale for illicit online trade in drugs, weapons, stolen goods, forged IDs, and child sexual exploitation.
The Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment said a darknet represents “a significant threat” in combating child sexual exploitation as the anonymity granted by it was a “strong enabling factor” for offenders.
It revealed one operation involving US and Irish authorities in August 2013 took down a darknet operator which hosted websites distributing child abuse material. It said the evidence indicated an increase in computer and security expertise of offenders.
International research indicated white girls were the main victims, 80% of them below the age of 10. There has been an increase in infant victims of sexual abuse and abuse of an extreme and sadistic nature.
The report said that, by exposing their personal details online without proper precautions, either via social media or by sharing sexualised images, children and adolescents were creating the possibility of being targeted by online predators.
It said the popularisation of webcams and chat platforms had enabled the streaming of live images of child abuse. It said some offenders will pay up to €2,360 to “orchestrate and view the abuse of a child in real time”.
It said the abused children were living in deprived economies, typically in eastern Asia, and the abuse was organised by families or communities for money.
The report said this was “likely to be a growth area” as it was difficult to detect and investigate.
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*Ireland has adopted an international declaration aimed at providing greater global cooperation in the fight against online child abuse.
A meeting of Ministers of Justice from around the world in Washington DC heard that no country is immune from this crime, including Ireland.
The Global Alliance Against Online Child Sexual Abuse met to today, to agree a plan to help law enforcement officials, who face significant challenges from a borderless crime.
The Head of Operations from the Europol CyberCrime centre, Garda Detective Inspector Paul Gillen, was one of those addressing the gathering.
He appealed to the ministers to have their Governments take action to give police forces global jurisdiction.
He said criminals could move disturbing evidence around the world at the click of a button, but law enforcement agencies had to go through multiple police forces and court systems to try to catch them.
The Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said that Ireland could be a global leader in the fight against child exploitation given the special access Ireland had to online companies and internet service providers.
She warned that people needed to realise that personal pictures they posted online for private use could be accessed and resold without their knowledge.
She said there were online child sex abuse users in Ireland and the authorities would continue to pursue them.
The Ministers of Justice today are signing a declaration which focuses on working efficiently with Internet service providers and on ensuring all countries have timely access to the material they need to combat online child abuse.
The US Attorney General Eric Holder is hosting the special conference.
-----------
*UPDATE:
Europol also predicted a rise in the streaming of live images of child abuse, with some paid-for services allowing perpetrators to orchestrate and view the abuse in real time. www.europol.eu
www.letsomeoneknow.ie & www.teenline.ie & www.spunout.ie & www.garda.ie
It said this was of primary interest to criminals who “abuse such anonymity” on a massive scale for illicit online trade in drugs, weapons, stolen goods, forged IDs, and child sexual exploitation.
The Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment said a darknet represents “a significant threat” in combating child sexual exploitation as the anonymity granted by it was a “strong enabling factor” for offenders.
It revealed one operation involving US and Irish authorities in August 2013 took down a darknet operator which hosted websites distributing child abuse material. It said the evidence indicated an increase in computer and security expertise of offenders.
International research indicated white girls were the main victims, 80% of them below the age of 10. There has been an increase in infant victims of sexual abuse and abuse of an extreme and sadistic nature.
The report said that, by exposing their personal details online without proper precautions, either via social media or by sharing sexualised images, children and adolescents were creating the possibility of being targeted by online predators.
It said the popularisation of webcams and chat platforms had enabled the streaming of live images of child abuse. It said some offenders will pay up to €2,360 to “orchestrate and view the abuse of a child in real time”.
It said the abused children were living in deprived economies, typically in eastern Asia, and the abuse was organised by families or communities for money.
The report said this was “likely to be a growth area” as it was difficult to detect and investigate.
-----------
*Ireland has adopted an international declaration aimed at providing greater global cooperation in the fight against online child abuse.
A meeting of Ministers of Justice from around the world in Washington DC heard that no country is immune from this crime, including Ireland.
The Global Alliance Against Online Child Sexual Abuse met to today, to agree a plan to help law enforcement officials, who face significant challenges from a borderless crime.
The Head of Operations from the Europol CyberCrime centre, Garda Detective Inspector Paul Gillen, was one of those addressing the gathering.
He appealed to the ministers to have their Governments take action to give police forces global jurisdiction.
He said criminals could move disturbing evidence around the world at the click of a button, but law enforcement agencies had to go through multiple police forces and court systems to try to catch them.
The Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said that Ireland could be a global leader in the fight against child exploitation given the special access Ireland had to online companies and internet service providers.
She warned that people needed to realise that personal pictures they posted online for private use could be accessed and resold without their knowledge.
She said there were online child sex abuse users in Ireland and the authorities would continue to pursue them.
The Ministers of Justice today are signing a declaration which focuses on working efficiently with Internet service providers and on ensuring all countries have timely access to the material they need to combat online child abuse.
The US Attorney General Eric Holder is hosting the special conference.
*UPDATE:
Almost of a quarter of sex offenders referred to One in Four for treatment last year was aged under 25.
The organisation says many of the young men began offending as adolescents by downloading child pornography, before moving on to abusing children themselves.
www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/increase-in-number-of-young-sex-offenders-attending-treatment-1.1947268
One Four says, in the digital age, young people must be supported to develop healthy notions of sex that are based on consent.
ENDS:The organisation says many of the young men began offending as adolescents by downloading child pornography, before moving on to abusing children themselves.
www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/increase-in-number-of-young-sex-offenders-attending-treatment-1.1947268
One Four says, in the digital age, young people must be supported to develop healthy notions of sex that are based on consent.
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