08/03/2006

Report notes increase in child porn sites

The number of child porn sites reported to police has increased by almost 80%, a new report has revealed.

The report, by the Internet Watch Foundation, said that public intolerance of child abuse sites and the development of new skills aimed at tackling the distribution of such images had led to the increase in reports.

The IWF's annual report said that 23,658 sites were reported to them in 2005 for having 'suspicious content'. Of those, 6,128 were passed on to police.

However, only 0.4% of child porn images were found on UK-based websites. Around 40% of all child porn sites were traced to the US, with 28% in Russia, 17% in Asia and 13% in mainland Europe.

Amanda Jordan OBE, Chair of the IWF, said: "The public can feel confident in the IWF's hard work over the last ten years combating these shocking crimes. The test will be to bring the same commitment and effectiveness to other countries, particularly Russia and the US where the majority of child abuse content appears to be hosted.

"Meanwhile, the IWF will ensure the UK remains a hostile place for those who engage in illegal activities online to the detriment of the majority."

Commenting on the report, John Carr, new technology adviser from children's charity NCH, said: "The success of the alliance between the IWF, industry and police is evidenced by the lack of child pornography found on UK-based servers. But NCH believes there is still far too much child pornography and everyone has a role to play in combating it.

"The governments of the USA and Russia need to up their game and stem the tide of child pornography leaving their virtual shores because it is putting children across the world at risk."

The NSPCC also welcomed the report. However, Diana Sutton, the charity's head of policy and public affairs, said: "We must not get complacent. The IWF report underlines the shocking number of images in circulation. While Internet Service Providers have shown that self-regulatory measures can go some way towards safeguarding children and young people, the NSPCC is calling for regulations to be put in place to make ISPs state publicly what they are doing to block access to sites on the IWF list."

The NSPCC also called for pre-installation of internet safety software on all new computers and better co-operation with international organisations and overseas governments."

(KMcA/GB)
















Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

28 January 2009
Consultation To End Child Poverty, Launched
The Government has today set out plans to make sure every child gets the best start in life by tackling child poverty, which can unfairly hold children back and prevent them reaching their full potential.
14 April 2015
137% Increase In Webpages Removed For Child Abuse Images - Report
The latest report from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has revealed a 137% increase in the number of webpages depicting child sexual abuse removed in 2014. According to their annual report, the UK-based charity helped remove 31,266 webpages last year, compared to 13,182 in 2013.
18 April 2008
Target Child Porn Sites Says Charity
Child protection could take international action to attack websites featuring indecent images of children. They could all be wiped out if there was a co-ordinated international response, a charity has said. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has found evidence of around 3,000 sites offering the images.
10 December 2009
Child Obesity 'Levelling Off'
New figures have suggested escalating child obesity in the UK is beginning to level off, however, rates are still too high, according to the government. The National Child Measurement Programme suggested families are benefiting from knowing the facts about their child's weight.
03 August 2009
NSPCC Calls Rise After Death Of Baby P
More people are calling the NSPCC Helpline about serious child abuse since the death of Baby Peter two years ago. Between April 2008 and March 2009, the 24-hour freephone service passed on 11,243 suspected child protection cases to police or social services - an increase of more than a third over two years.