EU Parliament Calls for Crackdown on Child Sexual Abuse and Illegal Online Images

PLENARY SESSION  

Press release - Justice and home affairs − 11-03-2015 - 14:23

The European Parliament calls for further efforts to investigate online child sexual abuse, prosecute offenders, protect child victims and remove illegal online content, in a resolution voted on Wednesday. The ongoing EU data protection reform also includes changes to better protect the rights of children online, MEPs stress. More than 80 % of the victims are under 10 years old.

To combat the sexual exploitation of children and child abuse images, a comprehensive approach is needed, embracing the investigation of offences, the prosecution of offenders, the protection of child victims and preventive measures, says the resolution, which was approved by 606 votes to 4 with 67 abstentions..

European parlaiment

Parliament’s call for action says that:

any illicit content must be promptly removed and reported to law enforcement authorities. MEPs highlight the role of the ICT industry, internet service providers and internet host providers in ensuring fast and efficient removal "at the request of the responsible law enforcement authority";

Europol and national law enforcement authorities should be given the necessary funds, human resources, investigative powers and technical capabilities to “seriously and effectively pursue, investigate and prosecute the offenders”;

new high-tech capabilities should be developed to meet the challenges of analysing vast amounts of child abuse imagery, including material hidden on the “dark web”;

children’s online personal data must be duly protected, and they should be informed in an easy and child-friendly way of the risks and consequences of using their data online. The ongoing data protection reform includes important changes to better protect the rights of children online, MEPs underline;

awareness-raising campaigns on responsible behaviour in the social media and online sexual abuse prevention programmes should be set up to empower children and support parents and educators in understanding and handling online risks. Hotlines should also be developed to enable children to denounce abuse anonymously, and

EU countries that have not yet transposed the 2011 directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography into their national laws are urged to do so (furthermore, over half have yet to implement it in full, notes the resolution).

The second item is the big one; can agencies get the funds to hire the resources needed? Huge numbers of people are needed to process online pedophiles if they are to be tackled one at at time. Unfortunately, I cannot think of a way of prosecuting them in groups, but that would help somewhat if it were possible. 

Another possibility is to outsource some of the investigative work. Groups like Terre des Hommes, which just received € 4 million from the Dutch National Postcode Lottery, to continue and upgrade the Sweetie program that netted thousands of kiddie-porn viewers last year. I'm sure there are lots of hackers out there who would love the challenge and it might occupy their talents in a positive way.

European parliament, Brussels

An international problem needs an international solution

International cooperation and transnational investigations must be stepped up, since these crimes span hundreds of countries with different legal jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies. MEPs welcome the joint initiative by the EU and 55 countries to form the Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online. This aims to rescue more victims, ensure more effective prosecution, raise awareness and achieve an overall reduction in the amount of child sexual abuse material available online.

Procedure:  Non-legislative resolution