Only global action can stop the evil predators who lurk online
EACH day, children around the world are being subjected to horrific abuse for the sick pleasure of twisted paedophiles who lurk online.
They are preyed upon by an estimated 750,000 predators who can access child abuse images on the internet in just three clicks.
Last year, the tech industry reported 69 million images and videos of child sexual abuse – up by more than 50 per cent in just 12 months.
This is an inhumane scandal that requires a zero-tolerance global response. I refuse to allow paedophiles to carry out their depraved acts in the darkest corners of the web, let alone some of the most popular social media platforms which are accessible to everyone.
One of my first acts as Home Secretary was to host the Five Country Ministerial meeting with allies from the US, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
We heard horrifying stories of how victims had been sexually abused as youngsters and groomed online.
That was the beginning of my personal mission to persuade governments and technology firms across the world to take action.
Yesterday, our Five Eyes security partners announced a set of voluntary principles – endorsed by major tech
Facebook, to ensure their encryption plans do not create havens for dangerous predators. This week I visited the National Crime Agency to see the tireless work of its officers to end this abomination, using cutting-edge tactics to catch prolific offenders. What they have to witness to keep young people safe is truly horrendous.
The harm caused to these children is incomprehensible, so I’m stepping up action at every level with the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers and an extra £30million to tackle child sexual abuse.
I will soon be unveiling a first-of-its-kind Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, which will set out an ambitious range of activities to hunt down offenders and safeguard victims. I also applaud the Daily Express for raising awareness with its Protect Children Online crusade. This government will not waiver in its determination to protect young people, relentlessly pursue their abusers, and stop the internet becoming a playground for paedophiles.
But to end this evil abuse the whole world needs to step up, and the tech firms simply must play their part.
These principles will be a very important step in achieving that.
ONLINE child sex abuse is an “inhumane scandal that requires a zero-tolerance global response”, the Home Secretary has said.
Priti Patel spoke after some of the world’s most popular social media giants signed a groundbreaking manifesto to root out paedophiles.
The mother of one was the architect of actions that tech firms will now adopt to ensure children are not sexually exploited on their platforms.
In a world first the Tech Coalition – made up of Facebook, Twitter
Google, TikTok, Microsoft, Snap and Roblox – have all adopted the voluntary code.
But Ms Patel said the companies would be “judged by their actions not their words”.
She said: “To end this evil abuse the whole world needs to step up and the tech firms play their part.”
Every day 750,000 perverts across the world use the internet to prey on children, with experts saying they are just three clicks away from unearthing horrifying images.
Last year, the industry reported 69 million child sexual abuse images and videos, a rise of more than 50 per cent in 12 months.
Pornography is routinely available and shared via platforms like simply must
Google and Twitter, with paedophiles using them to interact with other abusers. The new code is aimed at preventing perverts like Aron Mortlock, of Lewisham, southeast London. The 37-year-old was yesterday jailed for threeand-a-half years for offences that included uploading an indecent video of child abuse in September last year, 18 months after he was convicted of similar offences.
The code, drafted by the Five Eyes countries of Britain, America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and titled Voluntary Principles To Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, was launched yesterday at the US Department of Justice in Washington. Its 11 principles include a promise to prevent child sexual abuse material appearing online; targeting online grooming and predatory behaviour; targeting livestreaming of abuse and preventing search results from showing child sexual exploitation. The tech giants have also promised to regularly publish or share information on their efforts. Security minister James Brokenshire said: “We cannot