CBI gets access to Interpol's child sexual abuse database

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has joined Interpol's International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database, to which only select countries have access, officials informed. Having access to the database will enhance the central agency's snooping power in identifying abusers, victims and crime scenes from multimedia clips on the internet with the use of sophisticated software, PTI reported.

On Monday, India became the 68th country among the 295 members of Interpol to have access to this database and software.

ICSE database helps to identify seven child victims per day on average globally. This is done through audiovisual clips gathered from various sources, including social media platforms and search engines, the official said. It has identified more than 30,000 child victims and 13,000 criminals so far.

The database uses video and image comparison to analyse child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) and make connections between victims, abusers and places. Also, specialised investigators could share information on cases of child sexual abuse.

Interpol said, "The database avoids duplication of effort and saves precious time by letting investigators know whether a series of images have already been discovered or identified in another country, or whether it has similar features to other images."

The international agency's website says that "By analysing the digital, visual and audio content of photographs and videos, victim identification experts can retrieve clues, identify any overlap in cases and combine their efforts to locate victims of child sexual abuse."

Interpol data suggests that India reported 24 lakh instances of child sexual abuse during 2017-2020. Eighty per cent of victims in these cases are girls aged below 14. The gruesome statistics suggest that consumers of CSEM are growing at a sharp rate, and in addition to this, 1.16 lakh queries on child pornography were made on a single internet search engine.

India's central probe agency and the nodal body for Interpol coordination in the country, CBI, have set up a special unit, 'Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention/Investigation (OCSAE)', which tracks and monitors posting, circulation and downloads of CSEM on the internet.

The agency initiated a countrywide operation against peddlers of online CSEM in India last year. In its massive crackdown across 14 states, CBI had carried out searches at 77 locations and arrested seven people in operation launched on November 14, Children's Day.

Officials said that the search operation on 83 accused had resulted in the seizure of a huge tranche of electronic data and gadgets showing patterns of money trail and involvement of various offenders giving fresh leads to the agency being pursued. The operation had targeted over 50 social media groups having more than 5,000 alleged offenders sharing child sexual abuse material with some accused based in Pakistan, Canada, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ghana, among others.