Child sex abuse images on the internet are becoming more violent
Child sex abuse images on the internet are becoming more violent, although the number of sites showing them has fallen, a report has revealed.
The Internet Watch Foundation said the proportion of websites posting horrific images of child torture or rape is up by 11%.
It found that 58% of child sexual abuse domains traced in 2008 contained graphic images involving penetration or torture, compared with 47% in 2007.
Investigators traced 1,536 websites around the world publishing child abuse images last year, a fall of 10% on the previous year. Increased vigilance by police and a series of hotlines has made it harder for commercial groups to operate child porn websites, according to the IWF.
Chief executive Peter Robbins said: “These websites, although reducing in number, represent an extremely serious problem. “The extensive intelligence networks we have with partner hotlines and law enforcement colleagues around the world to support international action are making a real difference. “But the sophisticated way these websites operate still makes it a highly complex and global challenge.”
The report also found that of the child victims in the images, 69% appeared to be 10 years old or younger and 24% were aged six or under.
Diana Sutton, head of policy and public affairs at the NSPCC, told Sky News: “This report is a reminder that websites showing appalling images of often very young children being seriously sexually assaulted are still a serious and growing problem.
“The Government must put in the resources for a concerted international police effort to take out the major criminal gangs behind sites that trade in the abuse of children.”
The IWF, which is funded by the EU and the UK internet industry, found that fewer than 1% of child porn sites are hosted in Britain.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090428/tuk-online-child-porn-images-getting-wor-45dbed5.html
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