WHY ARE NUMBERS GOING UP?
Observers noted that there may not necessarily be more offenders.
Cases may take years to investigate, and more time may be needed to sentence or introduce new charges.
Enforcement efforts are also being stepped up.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) told CNA it is working more closely with international bodies to stop such crimes.
“Globally, the situation of online child sexual exploitation has worsened with technological advancements, making it increasingly difficult for law enforcement agencies to tackle this crime,” said an SPF spokesperson.
“This shows the need for greater international cooperation, and stronger safeguards to protect children from exploitation.”
SPF noted that with Singapore’s high internet penetration rate, “children here are vulnerable to online sexual exploitation and unsolicited sexual communications from strangers online”.
A Specialised Crime Branch under SPF’s Criminal Investigation Department investigates child sexual exploitation materials.
“Those who possess it create a demand and a supply for the materials,” said Superintendent Lim Hao Jun, head of the branch.
“There will then be people who try to meet the supply, and consequently children get abused. So those that possess child sexual abuse materials are also complicit in the sexual abuse of children.”
New technology such as artificial intelligence software is also being used to help officers process the sheer volume of sexual materials and sieve out those that involve children.
Recently, the police also uncovered AI-generated child porn using photos downloaded online.
“Our children are having easy access to online platforms. This makes them more susceptible to offences like sextortion and also unsolicited sexual communication with adults online,” said SUPT Lim.
“Globally, we are seeing this worrying trend where there’s livestreaming of child sexual exploitation activities,” he added.
“So offenders across the world will transmit money electronically to these abusers who could be either parents or guardians of the children, and they will sexually abuse the children in real time.”
With the cross-border nature of such crimes, Interpol has a database to allow investigators to share data on cases of child sexual abuse and match materials traced to suspects in Singapore.
Cooperation with police forces overseas has also been stepped up.
A recent five-week operation led to over 400 arrests for online child sexual exploitation, with seized items including 84 computers, 279 phones, 32 tablets, and 150 storage devices.
Those found guilty of possessing online child sexual abuse material can get up to five years’ jail and caning.
“Just like how it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village as well to protect them from the scourges of these crimes,” said SUPT Lim.
“These crimes leave an indelible mark on the young victims, and we should together, collectively as a society, protect them and look out for any risk that they will be exposed to online.”
