Online child sex abuse soars in Thailand as predators exploit coronavirus crisis
- A police task force has rescued more than 100 children in the last two months – almost double the 53 victims helped in 2018
- Experts urge Thailand to enact a law that will criminalise grooming of children for sexual abuse
The police-led Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) task force has rescued more than 100 children in the last two months – almost double the 53 victims helped in 2018, which was the highest annual figure since its foundation in 2016.
“Children aren’t going to school and criminals are taking advantage of this to look for income during unemployment,” said police colonel Thakoon Nimsomboon, head of TICAC.
Officials and activists have seen child cybersex abuse worsen under the coronavirus pandemic as families have struggled to earn a living while children have been at home and online, fuelling calls for better child education on internet safety.
Since mid-April, the police task force has recovered more than 150,000 files of child sexual abuse material and opened 53 cases. In 2019, they had 72 cases involving 46 victims.
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