Child Pornography - Home | National Rapporteur on Trafficking in ...

168
<strong>Child</strong> PornograPhy First report oF the Dutch NatioNal rapporteur
tors of child pornography, and that it is precisely within this group of perpetrators that material
produced relatively recently is exchanged. 323 This finding can form the basis of investigation: the
approach and the activities must primarily focus upon the perpetrators of high-tech crime and less
upon ‘simple’ downloaders.
The police and the Public Prosecution Service are working on shifting the focus in tackling these crimes
from the viewers and possessors of images of child sexual abuse (downloaders) to the victims, and to
the prosecution and detection of producers and distributors. 324 That is easier said than done, however.
First of all, this approach requires more capacity. A criminal investigation focusing on the abuse will take
approximately four times longer than an investigation of a downloader. 325 The computer specialists need
to analyse the images far more closely when focusing on the abuse aspects. 326 This creates a problem if
capacity remains at the same level.
Pending cases
The police and the Public Prosecution Service are also faced with the scale of pending cases. This is the
total of all cases that are being handled plus the number of cases that are not yet being handled, counted
from the time of receipt. 327 At the end of the third quarter of 2010, there were 991 pending cases. At the
end of the fourth quarter of 2010, this fell to 770 cases. 328 This fall can suddenly be reversed as a result
of an influx of new investigations from other countries. The Korpsmonitor 2010 showed that the average
number of pending cases each year is approximately 700. 329
The pending cases are mainly made up of investigations initiated in other countries. Between 800 and
1000 cases are received annually 330 and the Financial Coalition Against <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong> 331 in the USA
forms the source of a large number of cases, as credit card companies supply information in relation
to potential downloaders of child abuse material. 332 In the third quarter of 2010, 359 requests for legal
assistance were received from other countries. 333 It is generally expected that the number of cases from
other countries will increase. 334
323 Moran, 2010.
324 Minister of Security and Justice, Progress Report on tackling child pornography, 4 March 2011.
325 Programme of Improvements in Tackling <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong>, 2009.
326 Programme of Improvements in Tackling <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong>, 2009.
327 Programme of Improvements in Tackling <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong>, 2009.
328 Minister of Security and Justice, Progress Report on tackling child pornography, 4 March 2011.
329 Programme of Improvements in Tackling <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong>, 2011. Appendix B, p.50.
330 Information supplied verbally by IPOL, 20 April 2011.
331 The Financial Coalition Against <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong> is an international association created by banks,
credit card companies and Internet companies who have taken up the fight against producers and their
clients on the Internet. Parliamentary Papers II 2005/06, 30 300 VI, no.139.
332 Parliamentary Papers II 2010/11, 32 500 VI, no.75.
333 Parliamentary Papers II 2010/11, 32 500 VI, no.75.
334 Parliamentary Papers II 2010/11, 32 500 VI, no.75. This is not the experience of TBI. They occasionally receive
investigations in which credit card details emerge. The most recent investigations date back more
than two years (Astral). Commercial child abuse material, for that matter, only accounts for a small part
of the total number of cases. Information supplied in writing by TBI, 5 September 2011.