Collaboration in combating transnational child sexual abuse

There’s an old African proverb that says ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ but safeguarding that child, protecting that child from the ever-increasing number of threats requires a truly global village. That certainly became apparent to me as I visited Phnom Pehn in Cambodia to attend the International Judicial Police Forum organised by the Cambodian National Police and The Cambodian Children’s Fund.

The IWF Annual Report 2023 highlights a concerning increase in self-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The report indicates that a significant portion of the content reported involves images and videos created by minors themselves, often under coercive or manipulative circumstances.

Key findings included:

1. Increasing Numbers: There has been a notable rise in reports of self-generated material up 65% from 2022, underscoring the growing trend of minors being exploited through digital platforms.
2. Prevalence on Social Media: Many instances of self-generated CSAM are linked to social media and messaging apps, where children may share content without fully understanding the risks.
3. Need for Education: The report emphasizes the importance of educating children and parents about online safety, digital consent, and the potential dangers of sharing personal content.
4. Collaboration Efforts: The IWF calls for enhanced collaboration among technology companies, law enforcement, and NGOs to address the issue effectively and implement preventative measures.

The International Judicial Police Forum held in Cambodia last month was one such collaborative example and brought together law enforcement officials and legal experts from around the world to discuss collaboration in combating transnational child sexual abuse.

Key topics included enhancing cooperation between police forces at both a regional and international level, sharing best practices in investigations, and addressing emerging challenges. The forum emphasized the importance of international partnerships and technology in modern policing.

Participants also engaged in workshops to strengthen skills and knowledge-sharing, aiming to foster a more unified global response to crime. Overall, the event underscored the commitment to ensuring safety and justice across borders.

The Cambodian National Police Child Protection Unit (CPU) supported by the Cambodian Children’s Fund are the first police force in Southeast Asia to deploy Cyacomb Forensics technology to effectively tackle the increasing amount of CSAM being seen during investigations. The ease of use provided by Cyacomb Examiner Plus means that the CPU can distribute the tool nationally with only an hour’s training making the overall deployment even more effective. Now non-technical officers can be effectively leveraged in the fight against the proliferation of CSAM, the large number of digital devices and lack of technical expertise in the regions has been overcome. Through their collaboration with Cyacomb they can securely access data from several international data providers such as the Internet Watch Foundation and Interpol to assist in their fight to safeguard the children of Cambodia. Deploying Cyacomb Examiner Plus technology to the initial scene of crime means they can rapidly identify devices of interest, secure those devices for examination and subsequently share intelligence back to the international community through Contraband Filters and the Cyacomb Contraband Filter Hub.

By streamlining the sharing of critical information and fostering collaboration, Cyacomb Contraband Filters enhance the overall effectiveness of efforts to combat child sexual abuse material on a global scale.

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