How are France and the world fighting against the scourge of child crime?

48 alleged users of child pornography were arrested this week in metropolitan France. If these suspects are French, the internet allows them to view videos from all over the world. To curb this scourge and protect the victims of cybercrime, France must work closely with international organizations.

48 men arrested for viewing child pornography

A large-scale operation carried out throughout the metropolis made it possible to arrest 48 men suspected of consuming child pornography. Among them are the unemployed, retired and professionals, some of whom work directly with children. These ordinary individuals are particularly difficult to identify, especially since they benefit from the anonymity guaranteed by Internet platforms.

The typical profile of the predator does not exist, but we know that they are numerous in France. According to an article published in 2019, France is the third largest consumer of child sexual abuse content in the world. Child pornography content likely to be produced abroad.

How does France and the world fight against child crime?

If these suspects are French, the Internet has annihilated the notion of borders and allows us to see images from all over the world. It is impossible to establish the exact number of children involved, although Interpol has already managed to identify 30,000 victims worldwide since 2018.

In France, various structures are responsible for the collection and treatment of complaints, infiltration networks with a view to the arrest and prosecution of aggressors rampant on the national territory. However, the internet tool requires that the struggle also take place in close collaboration with foreign countries. Organizations such as Interpol or Europol thus ensure the coordination of their member states and intervene globally to dismantle the networks and confuse their customers.

Measures are also envisaged by the European institutions. In May 2022, the European Commission presented a bill that would oblige Internet access providers and instant messaging services to monitor their users’ exchanges to report problematic content. The intention is commendable, but it poses many ethical problems which compromise its application as it stands.

While the project is still under negotiation, one thing is certain: the fight against pedophile crime must be conducted collectively.

Photo credit image of one: Getty Images