Increase in reported child sex crimes – Göteborgs-Posten

The number of notifications of suspected sex crimes against children online to children’s rights organization ECPAT has increased sharply. Stock Photography. Photo: Berit Roald, NTB Scanpix, TT

Reports of suspected sex crimes against children online are soaring, according to children’s rights organization ECPAT. In just one year, the notifications doubled.

– We believe it can depend on a number of interacting factors, says Thomas Andersson, press secretary at ECPAT Sweden.

He points to, among other things propensity may have increased. Another explanation is that the material has become more readily available and more people may encounter when they surf the legal pornographic sites.

Strong growth

In 2014 received ECPAT Sweden in 2715 notifications to the ECPAT hotline for suspected sexual exploitation of children online. Last year, that number had risen to 5430.

The reports were assessed about 1630 being suspected crimes. The vast majority is about documented sexual abuse of children, but there were also reports of such grooming or trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

Approximately 240 entries were judged to have a connection to Sweden.

– Either the server is placed here or there is no indication of a Swedish perpetrators or Swedish children, says Thomas Andersson.

The cases have been handed over to the Swedish police. Thomas Andersson has no information about what then happened in these cases.

International network

In 2014, ECPAT went into the international network INHOPE. It is a network where the application pages from 45 countries are included.

Of the more than 240 complaints with a connection to Sweden came 192 from INHOPE.

– that we went with is extremely valuable for us and for the Swedish police because we get so many good tips on this crime, says Thomas Andersson.

He points to the importance of the telecommunications industry, the judiciary and civil society together to work against this sort of crime.

the Facts: ECPAT

ECPAT is a children’s rights organization working against child sex trade.

the organization is politically and religiously independent.

ECPAT was established in 1990 in Thailand.

in september 1996, founded ECPAT Sweden.

Source: ECPAT