Costa Rica has a new tool to combat child sexual abuse, a software that detects websites containing “child
sexual abuse” content, thanks to an agreement between the Federación Interamericana de Abogados (FIA) and the Swedish company, NetClean.
Luis Paulino Mora, president of the Corte Suprema de Costa Rica (Supreme Court), was handed the free software that detects attempts to access websites containing child pornography and block them, at the same time prevents uploads of images.
Additionally, the software creates a database that serves as proof for authorities to start a criminal action against people whose online activity arouses suspicion.
The software also identifies the activities that a person engages in countries where located, allowing international collaboration between several states. This software will be in the possessionof the Fiscalía General (Attorney General), specifically the office of the Fiscalía de Delitos Sexuales (Sex Crimes).
Both the Chief Justice and the Attorney General, were very pleased with the delivery, as this is another tool to combat Internet sex crimes to the detriment of minors.
On its website, NetClean explains that Child sexual abuse material is documented sexual abuse of children. It has nothing to do with pornography. Child sexual abuse material consists of images and films and do not show adults who wear children’s clothing or call themselves “teens”. It is much worse.
According to the “2009 Annual and Charity Report” of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) 72% of the child victims appear to be between the ages of 0 and 10; 23% six years old or under; and 3% two years or under. 44% of the images depict the rape or torture of the child. (1) There are images of penetrations of infants. According to the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 83 % of those arrested for possession of child pornography had images of children between 6-12 years old, 39 % had images of children between 3-5 years and 19 % had images of children under 3 years old (2) .
A person surfing child sexual abuse material might look and act like anyone you know. There is often a false impression that there is an “ugly old man”, a recluse or a “strange” person who many believe could be interested in child sexual abuse material. Yet in fact, it could be anyone at all. Moreover, there is no link to social groups or occupations. Mr. Michael Moran, officer in INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Human Beings Sub-Directorate says:
“The reality we have to face in our societies is that there are people (men and women) who want to have sex with prepubescent children, and we need to face up to it. These people can be anyone. Police officers, system administrators, politicians and priests have all been arrested in investigations I have worked on, and each one will have offended to differing degrees and for different reasons.
