In a specialized operation, a sexual abuser was arrested and a victim aged 12 was found at his address, the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate “Combating Organized Crime” (DGBOP) – Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria officially announced. The statement added that one of his victims, a 12-year-old boy was used to create sexually explicit materials, was found at the address, and in the course of the investigation, the identity of three other child victims of the sexual abuser, aged 13-14, was established. The man also had a previous criminal record.
Once again, we draw attention to the fact that child sexual abuse has been increasing strongly in recent years globally, and Bulgaria is no exception.
The forms of sexual exploitation vary, and the most common victims are children between 10 and 14 years of age. Institutions, parents, and teachers must commit to the problem, and that is to make children aware of the dangers of the web and to build a trusting relationship so that, if a problem arises, the child does not have to worry about seeking help from an adult.
The Cybercrime Directorate of the DGBOP receives numerous reports of child sexual abuse on the Internet, and a team of 10 experts works daily to identify online child sexual abusers as well as victims. However, there are regulatory and procedural gaps in our country that cause child sexual abusers, once they have had a ‘run-in with the law’, to resume their criminal actions and intentions again after a while, with a sense of impunity and untouchability.
Here are more facts on the topic of child sexual abuse online
For 2024, the Bulgarian Centre for Safe Internet, whose activities are also supported by the National Network for Children, has processed more than 79,000 alerts received by Hotlines from 46 other countries around the world about open illegal content hosted on Bulgarian servers with Bulgarian IP addresses. Out of these 79,000, after processing, the Centre has sent over 70,200 to the Cybercrime Directorate of the DGCOP for actual illegal content hosted in Bulgaria.
Based on these 70,000 signals of content on Bulgarian IP addresses, more than 1.6 million more “derived signals” have emerged – for more pictures and links leading to more pornographic content with children on Bulgarian addresses.
For 20 years now, since the creation of safenet.bg, it is a civil organization that has been processing these online child abuse alerts and submitting them to the DGCOP for investigation – without receiving state funding, but in fact, fulfilling a state commitment.
Among the reports to safenet.bg Hotlines are those about the distribution of photos and videos with sexual content with children, sexual blackmail, and exploitation. In all reports, 99% are about crimes against girls and 1% against boys. Most victims are children aged 10-14. They become victims through games and social profiles, where strangers with fake profiles know very well when and how to talk to them and how to ask them step by step for a photo or a live date.
Often, large volumes of pornographic child content are found on Telegram channels or on the devices of specific individuals who sell the content on the principle of a massive ‘bank’ for pornographic videos and pictures. Last year, the Center for a Safe Internet discovered and shut down a Telegram channel with over 100,000 images. But new ones are popping up.
In our country, there is a detection rate, but things are slowed down in the prosecution, where, because of delayed procedures and reactions, often criminals manage to destroy the pornographic content they store and cover their tracks, then start creating and distributing such content again. The CND is working on an analysis of the legal framework and regulatory gaps that hinder the prevention, detection, and punishment of online crimes against children. Recommendations for procedural and legal amendments will be made. Responsible institutions will be involved in the discussion, including. This will involve the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the SACP, etc.
Globally, more than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation. The main territory of kidnappers is online gaming platforms, where children are victims of abuse on average within 19 seconds of the first private message.
The Dark Web continues to be a ‘reservoir’ for child pornography. In a survey of Dark Web users, 39% said they had witnessed a live broadcast of child sexual exploitation.
Tools to mask pornographic content are increasing – e.g. through steganography – (data hidden inside an image, audio file, or other media format), by editing the image to resemble AI-generated, etc.
Parents, teachers, and adults are reminded that if they have a suspicion or register a problem with a child online, they can seek advice by calling. 124 123 – the Safer Internet Centre’s Advice Line, or report a child via the online Criminal Content Hotline form – via the Safer Internet Centre’s website at this link: www.safenet.bg/podavane-na-signal/.
