Brussels, 25/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - G8 justice and home affairs ministers, meeting in Munich on 24 May, vowed to step up the fight against the production and distribution of child pornography, especially images online, and called for the adoption of international standards in this field. “Because of the global network that the internet represents, we need international cooperation”, said Wolfgang Schäuble, German interior minister, on the sidelines of the meeting that unfolded behind closed doors on Thursday and Friday in Germany, a country that currently holds the rotating presidency of the group of most industrialised countries (G8). States belonging to this group must set an example for the rest of the world in acting against such practices, said Brigitte Zypries, German justice minister.
Discussions are also underway to involve internet access providers in the fight against child porn. “Entities including internet service providers, information technology professionals and financial institutions … the media, parents and educators, should be encouraged to consider what role they could play in the fight”, the ministers said in a declaration, which does not, however, specify what measures this sector could take. Germany recently smashed a child pornography ring thanks to an unprecedented examination of credit card data institutions and credit card companies.
Two recent affairs illustrate the need for cross-border cooperation to combat the trafficking and exploitation of children and the sexual abuse of minors. Ms Zypries cited the case of little Madeleine McCann, the four-year old British girl who has disappeared in Portugal, while Ms Zypries' French counterpart, Rachida Dati, placed emphasis on the work jointly conducted by Belgian and French authorities, recently foiling a Franco-Belgian plot to kidnap and rape a young girl. “We simply have to assume that this was done by a gang that passes on these children to be exploited, and Russia as well mentioned the danger … that such children may be abducted for adoption later on”, the German minister said. “So we have to make sure that the necessary protection measures and the necessary exchange of data … takes place so that we can investigate such cases more quickly and also prevent such cases”, Ms Zypries said. She also hoped there would be greater cooperation between the public authorities and the public sector on persons involved in “sexual tourism”. “If you believe you can travel to China to sexually abuse children, we want to make it clear that we will prosecute you in your own country”, she pointed out. On this point, Franco Frattini, European justice commissioner, explained that the G8 countries would be making an effort to implement the international agreements signed in this area. The sexual exploitation of children now comes under “organised crime, not isolated offences”, Ms Dati stressed.
Also present at the meeting were Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble, who revealed that an International Child Sexual Exploitation Image Database had been set in place to help the police identify the authors of these crimes and to save the victims from abuse. The database contains over 500,000 pictures of sexually exploited children and has already saved 500 children throughout the world, Mr Noble said, cited by Reuters. Most of those perpetrating such acts are men from Europe and the United States who have had sexual relations with young boys from countries such as Thailand and Cambodia. According to Mr Noble's assistant, Kristin Kvigne, the number of sexual offenders currently travelling across the globe is estimated to be “in the thousands”.
During the two days of discussion, the G8 ministers (Germany, France, United States, Italy, Great Britain, Canada, Japan and Russia) also spoke of the fight against terrorism. Mr Schäuble said that delegations hoped to “agree on common standards for the protection of our critical infrastructure, in particular in the field of energy supply”. Discussions also covered the use of the internet by terrorists as, according to Mr Schäuble, this is not only a means of communication between extremists but also a tool for collecting detailed information on how to manufacture bombs. It is also a tool for recruitment and radicalisation. Ministers were also to discuss the fight against piracy, the protection of intellectual property rights, the policy for the integration of immigrants, and the management of migratory flows from developing countries. Among those present were US General Prosecutor Alberto Gonzales, British Deputy Interior Minister Tony McNulty, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nugaliyev and Canadian Justice Minister Robert Nicholson.(bc)