The borderless crime against children | Bangkok Post: opinion

PAEDOPHILIA

Earlier this year, law enforcement agencies from five European Union nations and the United States worked together to dismantle a transatlantic paedophilia network, and arrested perpetrators and distributors of child abuse images and videos. This is not the only such case: two other joint police crackdowns coordinated by Europol over the past two years have resulted in more than 300 suspects being arrested. Suspects were identified in 30 countries, ranging from the US to Australia. Teachers and a boyscout leader were among the suspects arrested.

As these cases show, those who prey on children operate globally, without regard to borders _ this is the reality that we must face and we must resolve. These criminals see the internet as one of their most valuable tools. The same internet that has helped revolutionise the way in which we conduct our everyday lives _ and that has allowed government reformers and others to unite around the world _ has also allowed perpetrators to widely disseminate images and videos of sexually abused children, while concealing the identities of the abusers. And each time an image or a video is spread further, that act of abuse is repeated again.

So how do we halt these horrendous crimes? In order for us to truly make a difference, every country must increase its own efforts, and we must improve our international cooperation to target this pervasive problem.