§ Brian WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what steps his Department has taken to export the UK model of co-operation between Government, police and industry to tackle child pornography on the internet; [166800]
(2) what measures his Department is taking to increase international co-operation among law enforcement agencies to combat child pornography on the internet. [166802]
§ Paul GogginsI have been asked to reply.
While the Government have actively encouraged, and worked towards, the development of a partnership approach between the various agencies and organisations which deal with tackling child abuse on the internet in the UK, how this issue is dealt with by other jurisdictions is a matter for each individual country to consider. The Government have promoted the success of multi agency co-operation to tackle child abuse on the internet, using examples such as the Task Force on child protection on the internet, in speeches, at conferences, in the international fora it operates within, through ministerial and officials' visits overseas, and to the many visitors it receives with a relevant interest in this issue.
There are a variety of mechanisms to assist in furthering international co-operation between law enforcement agencies on this issue. This may be through the provision of equipment and training to overseas law enforcement by UK agencies, or by the development and hosting of specialist training courses or conferences. For example, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and National Crime Squad recently co-funded a conference for international law enforcement experts, NGOs and officials concerning child abuse and the internet. The National Crime Squad is also engaged in a global initiative with partner countries currently comprising Canada, USA, Australia and Interpol which seeks to establish new and imaginative ways of combating and reducing child abuse on line, seeking to produce a virtual police presence which will ultimately make the internet a safer place.
A problem for all law enforcement agencies is the identification of children featured in child abuse images. As part of a G8 strategy on Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet, the UK is leading the development of an international (not restricted to G8 countries) Child Image Database, housed at Interpol. It aims to act as a global repository of images 202W of child abuse with the capacity to carry out automated analysis. It will be a significant tool for international law enforcement contributing to the identification of victims and offenders and analysis of images. The strategy also seeks to promote mechanisms for sharing information and best practice internationally to further protect from exploitation online.