South Africa battles rising child pornography cases

As child pornography cases seem to be on the rise in South Africa, experts are calling for beefing up of police intelligence and improved cooperation with international law enforcement agencies.

This comes after the latest child pornography incident in which a 35-year-old man was arrested after police reportedly found 10 million images of child pornography in his house in Midrand, Gauteng, over the weekend.

The man, believed to be hosting and distributing child pornography internationally, was arrested on Friday and spent the weekend at the Randburg police station.

Man allegedly hosting and distributing child pornography internationally

During the arrest, police seized several electronic devices, drugs and cash.

The man appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday and was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance on Tuesday next week.

The case has been postponed to allow the police to conduct further investigation.

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Willem Els, an expert from the Institute for Security Studies, said campaigns were also needed to sensitise parents, children and teachers on how to identify elements associated with this crime.

“To prevent this, we need the whole community’s involvement to ensure that this is prevented.

“This crime is being committed by transnational organised syndicates so it is important to beef up our police intelligence and enhance our cooperation with law enforcement agencies from other countries. As you see in the current case, the United States-based FBI played a vital role in the arrest of the suspect.

FBI played vital role in arrest

“Just imagine the damage 10 million materials could have caused if the man was not arrested,” said Els.

It was disturbing to see that the number of child pornography cases were increasing, he said.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda van Wyk said 21 people were recently arrested on charges relating to child pornography countrywide.

ALSO READ: Midrand suspect found with ’10 million child pornography images and videos’ arrested (PICS)

Van Wyk said the arrests came as a result of the interaction with international law enforcement.

In December, a 41-year-old school principal based in Pretoria, as well as a 49-year-old man from Vanderbijlpark, were arrested for a similar crime, she said.

Jason Cogill, chief executive officer for the National Freedom Network, an organisation that deals with connecting the various counter-trafficking organisations, said the most recent arrest exposed the underlying issues such as missing children, the trafficking of children and the ease with which children were being exposed to pornography in a time where anyone and everyone, irrespective of age, can access it.

Underlying issues

“What this most recent case also highlights are local law enforcement and international law enforcement’s efforts to arrest and hopefully prosecute offenders. We would like to commend Saps and international law enforcement for their exceptional efforts, especially in the past two years,” said Cogill.

“The critical role of parents and guardians cannot be overstated. You have every right to know everything that happens on your child’s device and about their use of social media.”

“A recent report showed while only 25% of parents thought their children had seen porn, 63% of children reported having seen it. Don’t turn a blind eye to the safety and well-being of your own.

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“We have practical guidelines as to how to address this with our children. It can be found in the age-old book of Proverbs,” he said.

Cogill appealed to lawmakers and policymakers to tighten the laws to make it difficult for children to access pornographic websites.

A recent international report indicated that at least 27% of children reported having viewed porn by the age of 13, Cogill said.

27% of children viewed porn by 13

Head of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Limpopo Prof Witness Maluleke said the common nature and extent of this crime could not be justified and cracking it remains mountainous for the relevant stakeholders.

It is a pressing issue, as it is well organised, involving global links, he said.

“Worryingly, this crime commonly makes news headlines, with inadequate interventions witnessed.

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“Therefore, protecting children from falling victim to this scourge calls for joint operations between the South African Police Service, the FBI and another relevant department.

“They need to be supported by collaborative efforts of citizens, intelligence-led policing, the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations Unit, Forensic Social Work and Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences,” Maluleke said.

Shaheda Omar, clinical director for the Teddy Bear Foundation, has advised parents to monitor their children’s cellphones and immediately seek professional help when they suspect their children might be under attack.