Paedophile criminals on the lookout

The lives of children and young people are increasingly being lived in the digital space. And wherever they are, paedophiles are not far away. This is confirmed by the figures.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the USA is one of fedpol’s most important non-police partners in the fight against paedophile crime. Internet platforms and social media such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many more have a duty to report prohibited pornographic content to the non-profit US organisation. If there is a link with Switzerland, the NCMEC forwards the suspicious activity reports to fedpol.

In 2023, fedpol received 14,420 NCMEC reports. As has been the case since 2021, the figures have risen again compared to the previous year. On the one hand, more suspicious activity reports mean that the algorithms of internet platforms and social media are becoming ever more precise and discovering more material. On the other, the amount of illegal pornographic material on the internet is undeniably increasing. For example, there are more and more pictures and videos in circulation that children and young people produce and post of themselves. This age group is often unaware that they may potentially be committing a crime, nor of the potential for abuse. A decrease in NCMEC reports is not expected for 2024.

After receiving the reports, fedpol checks whether the content suggests any criminal conduct under Swiss law and, if necessary, carries out further enquiries. If there is evidence that a crime has been committed, fedpol reports the matter to relevant cantonal authorities. In 2023, fedpol filed 1895 such reports. A report can contain several images and videos and is used by the cantonal police as the basis for further investigations and for deciding whether to open criminal proceedings against the perpetrators.

International child abduction