Global Campaign Against Child Pornography
The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) has launched the Global Campaign to Combat Child Pornography to raise awareness about and combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation.
Child pornography has become a global crisis. It is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, fueled by the Internet. Its victims are becoming younger. According to data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), 19% of identified offenders had images of children younger than 3; 39% had images of children younger than 6; and 82% had images of children younger than 12. There is also strong evidence of increasing involvement by organized crime and extremist groups. Children have become a commodity in this insidious crime. While there is no empirical research on the scope of the problem, but there are estimates.
• A 2002 report by ECPAT International and the Bangkok Post estimated that 100,000 child-pornography web sites existed on the Internet in 2001.
• According to the Internet Watch Foundation in the United Kingdom, there has been a 1500% increase in the number of child-pornography images since 1997.
• In 2003, the National Criminal Intelligence Service in the United Kingdom estimated that child-pornography web sites had doubled worldwide; that half of the sites are hosted in the United States; and that the number of sites in Russia had doubled.
• NCMEC reports that most child pornography consumers and child victims are Americans; however, the financial transactions are increasingly moving offshore.
• U.S. and international law enforcement are now attacking the problem of child pornography. More cases are being made and more perpetrators brought to justice. Yet, law enforcement cannot arrest and prosecute every offender. We must do far more at the policy level. We must strangle the flow of money supporting this illegal, insidious enterprise.
In October 2002, ICMEC hosted a Forum in Dublin, Ireland, the goal of which was to explore the extent of the problem of child pornography, raise the awareness of the child-pornography issue within the international community, and create a worldwide plan of action for ICMEC to combat this most heinous crime. In attendance at the Dublin Forum were law-enforcement officers, non-governmental organizations, and research groups from multiple nations. The Dublin Forum resulted in the creation of the “Dublin Plan,” a global, 10-point Action Agenda designed to combat child pornography by improving laws, expanding knowledge and resources, and enhancing coordination among policymakers, law enforcement, and the public at large.
In April 2005, ICMEC held a follow-up Forum in Lyon, France to survey the current state of the child-pornography problem; explore emerging trends in child pornography; assess the progress made on the Dublin Plan’s action items; and adjust and adapt the Dublin Plan for moving forward. Along with members from ICMEC's Board of Directors, the Lyon Forum brought together experts and leaders in the field of child pornography as well as technology and private industry. A major theme throughout the Lyon Forum was the need for further collaboration and coordination of efforts, both within and across sectors.
In October 2005, ICMEC convened the first-ever U.S./European Summit on Missing & Exploited Children. Participants in the Summit included government leaders, non-governmental organizations, business executives, law enforcement officials, judges, prosecutors, researchers and physicians. Among the organizations represented were the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the United Nations. At the end of two-and-a half days of debate and discussion, Summit attendees adopted an aggressive 15-point Action Plan, which includes the eradication of commercial child pornography worldwide by 2008. The Summit was held at the corporate training facility of Swiss healthcare company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
International Resource Centre |
ICMEC, in collaboration with Interpol, has created a web-based International Resource Centre (IRC) on the issue of child pornography. The IRC contains public information as well as private investigative resources for law enforcement.
More...
NGO Coordination and Regional Action Plans |
We have a special collaboration with Microsoft as the sponsor for our training program.
For a number of years Microsoft has actively partnered with law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations across the globe to combat crimes against children. In addition to training law enforcement officials on computer technology, Microsoft also provides educational information to consumers on how to keep children safe while surfing the net. Microsoft has not only assisted in child pornography investigations but also in investigating the trafficking and prostitution of children, specifically in Thailand. Microsoft is committed to advancing cyber crime investigations around the world with their expertise on and broad knowledge of computer and network technologies.
Microsoft has established a private web portal for law enforcement designed to assist with cyber crime investigations and Internet safety threats. The portal offers targeted technical aid to law enforcement with direct support from a broad range of Microsoft subject matter experts. The portal also offers training and informational materials to help understand the variety of Internet safety threats and the technology being used by many of today’s Internet offenders. If you are a law enforcement officer and would like more information about this portal or Microsoft’s Internet safety programs, please email leportal@microsoft.com and provide your credentials.
ICMEC, in collaboration with the International Association of Internet Hotline Providers (INHOPE), is hosting Focus Group meetings in select cities across Europe to facilitate the creation and development of specific regional action plans for combating child pornography. More...
ICMEC Board Member Mike DeNoma is an extraordinary man. In addition to being Group Executive Director of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, a founding member of ICMEC's Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography, Mike is the father of six and an avid athlete. His love for his children combined with his athletic prowess provided the motivation for his "Race4Innocence", a multi-year quest to raise $1 million to help ICMEC eradicate the commercial viability of child pornography.More...
|
Term of use
