Project helps to track down paedophiles
As a result of a joint initiative between Greater Manchester Police and UCC’s COPINE project, a 24-year-old British man was arrested in Thailand yesterday on suspicion of abusing young boys and producing sordid images of children.
Police inspector Terry Jones said last night, “This was a brilliant joint initiative between COPINE and Greater Manchester Police.”
It was one of a recent number of arrests involving British police and the UCC-based project.
The unique academic initiative applies forensic and clinical psychology to the analysis of vulnerabilities for children related to the Internet. Founded in 1997, it is based in UCC’s Department of Applied Psychology.
It emerged out of a Child Studies Unit (CSU) which was created to explore and contribute to the development of facilities for street children and other disadvantaged youngsters.
COPINE is heading international efforts to understand and develop solutions to the serious problem.
The research project discovered in excess of 50 new child faces are appearing each month in images involving nudity and erotic posing on the internet.
It is believed many of the children are from disadvantaged communities in Eastern Europe or South America but a large proportion came from Western Europe. However, the study also unearthed evidence which showed the involvement of organised crime gangs exploiting the child porn market through paid web sites.
COPINE has helped to identify about 40% of the children involved in child pornography in Britain and Ireland over the past four years. It has also assisted in the apprehension of offenders who have produced the images in Europe and the USA.
Yet, said the project promoters, its research was only the tip of the iceberg of unidentified children.
It is seeking implementation of a proposal at the second International Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children where the establishment of a Child Pornography Observatory was advocated.
COPINE questioned the lack of statutory controls on internet service providers.
