Hundreds of children identified in sexual material

computer keyboard childrenHands on a computer keyboard. Photo: Frank May / NTB scanpix

Several hundred Norwegian children identified in sexual assault material

So far this year, 44 new cases of sexual assault on Norwegian children have been identified on internet images. In total, 342 Norwegian children are registered in Interpol’s storage base.
According to P4 newspaper, the ages of the children range all the way down to babies.
‘When it comes to the type of assault the police have revealed, it’s the whole spectrum. There is gross sexual assault, and torture, at one end of the scale, to posing for pictures at the other end,’ said Emil Kofoed, police chief at the section for sex offences in the National Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS – Kripos).
In some cases, the perpetrator has named the victims so they are easily identifiable, while in other identification is more demanding.

Worldwide increase

‘In those cases, we need to work more systematically,  and see what the pictures and films contain by way information. There may be objects, environments and weather data we can use to see where in the world the abuse happened, and when,’ said Kofoed.
According to VG newspaper, the increase of children registered as victims in Spring 2017 is close to 15%, while the increase from the database that was created in 2012, is around 9% for the past six months. This reflects a worldwide increase in child sexual abuse cases.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today