IWF welcomes the new Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre
Since Operation Ore revealed the high numbers of people downloading child abuse content from the internet, it was realised that a centralised resource was needed to tackle this crime.
The new Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, which launched on 24th April, brings together law enforcement officers, specialists from children’s charities and industry in hope of providing an integrated, partnership approach to the growing global problem of child abuse online.
CEO of the new CEOP Centre Jim Gamble said: "The CEOP Centre is the most significant development in child protection in recent years and is a direct response to the explosion in online child abuse. Our challenge therefore is this – to make the internet a safer environment for your child.
“What we have to understand is that behind every image online there is a child in the real world being abused. Behind every online chat there is the potential that your child may be speaking to a sex offender. That is a harsh reality
“That is not to say of course that the internet isn’t a great place. It is a great environment – one that is full of learning and fun opportunities. What we are saying to children, young people and parents is that by putting awareness first you will reduce the opportunities for harm.
“So let us be clear. If you are a sex offender– get help or get caught. The internet will increasingly expose you to new policing powers and will cease to be the anonymous place that it once was.
“If you are a parent, a child or a young person don’t be afraid, be cautious. If you are a victim then approach us. Let us signpost you to sources of help, advice and support.”
Peter Robbins, Chief Executive, IWF welcomes the new centre: “CEOP’s multifaceted strategy to tackle child abuse in the UK is a timely, necessary and serious response to this constantly evolving crime. The work will receive commitment from law enforcement agencies, children’s services, the Government, the IWF and the internet, mobile and financial industries. These partnerships in addition to CEOP’s cross-functionality and technical expertise bode well for its future success.
“The IWF looks forward to working with CEOP ensuring the UK and the rest of the world become even more hostile spaces for those who exploit and abuse children, on and offline.”
A point that is worth noting is the distinction between the two organisations: where the CEOP Centre works to identify victims, educate young people and track perpetrators, the IWF will continue to deal with illegal online content, as it has done successfully for the last 10 years.
The IWF will continue in its role of taking reports from the public about illegal content, specifically child abuse images worldwide, criminally obscene content and incitement to racial hatred content hosted in the UK.
When the IWF receives such reports and deem them to bee illegal they will ask the internet industry to take those websites down and passes intelligence about any illegal content that relates to child abuse to the new CEOP Centre for further investigation.
The CEOP Centre has a mandate to use national resources to focus on high risk, high impact offenders and will deliver:
- A dedicated 24/7 online resource for reporting instances of online child sex abuse
- Systems to track sex offenders and to disseminate intelligence globally - resulting in victim identification and the direction of those victims towards sources of support
- Specialist operational capability to boost domestic and international raids
- Dedicated operators to track and seize assets from those who trade in child abuse images, working in partnership with VISA to develop greater sanctions against those who use legitimate payment mechanisms to purchase such images
- Online awareness tools and offline education materials to encourage children to use the internet safely
- Direct input into making technological advances ‘safer by design’ e.g. the technical specification of new products will incorporate child protection features
- An international presence by maximising the potential of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an alliance between law enforcement agencies from the UK, Canada, America, Australia and Interpol, by capitalising on existing relationships and bringing other countries on board.
- Specialist training services to help personnel in law enforcement, education, prisons, probationary services and child protection agencies.
Contact details for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre:
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
33 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2WG
33 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2WG
Tel: +44 (0)870 000 3344
Page Created: Mon, May 8th, 2006
Page Modified: Mon, May 8th, 2006
