CHILD EXPLOITATION
AND ONLINE PROTECTION CENTRE News Release issued by COI News
Distribution Service. 3 March 2009
New European
Financial Coalition to track and disrupt the commercial element
behind child sex abuse images
Major financial, internet and technology corporations have joined
forces with international policing agencies, the European
Commission and specialist child protection NGOs to track and
disrupt child sex offenders through the money they make.
Led by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre
- the UK's dedicated policing organisation for protecting
children from sexual exploitation - and funded by the European
Commission, the new European Financial Coalition (EFC) will bring
together an increasing number of organisations from across all key
sectors to send out a stark warning to criminals who seek to make
money from the distribution of child sex abuse images.
MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPal, VISA Europe and the NGO Missing
Children Europe are amongst the founding members of the new
coalition and are joined by Allen and Overy and ICMEC - the
International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children as
advisory members to the EFC.
On the law enforcement side of the EFC, founding members also
include Europol, who are working with the CEOP team to deliver a
European-wide policing response, and the Italian National Postal
and Communication Police who are close allies of the UK national
centre as both are part of an international alliance of law
enforcement agencies under the banner of the Virtual Global Taskforce.
The objective of the EFC is to bring together all stakeholder
groups engaged in the fight against the commercial distribution of
child abuse images in order to facilitate and support pan-European
police operations, with cross-sector solutions targeting, in
particular, the electronic payment systems that are used to
purchase child exploitation and abuse images on the internet.
Organisations behind the coalition believe that this will
ultimately help to:
* Identify, locate and safeguard victims
* Identify, locate
and arrest perpetrators
* Identify, trace and seize the assets
of offenders
* Educate, inform and empower key stakeholders to
prevent the spread and ultimately disrupt and dismantle this crime
once and for all.
Jim Gamble is the Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre:
"Things have changed radically since the days of Operation
Ore. Individual organisations, members of the financial sector and
law enforcement agencies have worked hard to undermine the
activities of those who sold images of child abuse as commodities.
As a result, the organised crime element has diminished year on
year as the risk increased and the profit reduced.
"Now by applying the individual lessons learnt and by coming
together with our combined skills, focusing on collective
objectives, we plan to eradicate the remnants of that industry
once and for all.
"But we can't stop there. The EFC provides the
opportunity to tackle other tactics used by predators such as
complex subscription sites and news groups. These are organised by
networked paedophiles and driven by a deviant sexual interest in
children, rather than by organised crime enterprises for profit.
"And we will bring together our collective skills and
abilities and build on the offender management model developed at
the CEOP Centre. Using financial intelligence we are locating
more and more high risk offenders - now a 70%+ success rate
compared with 8% prior to our launch in 2006.
"So I applaud all the founding members of the EFC for
lowering their corporate flags and getting on board. Our call
today is for more and more to join us as our drive against this
horrific crime continues."
On a special visit to the UK to mark the launch of this new
initiative, European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot
emphasised the international nature of the scheme and the drive to
deliver a pan-European approach that would be responsive to the
needs of differing countries. Vice President Barrot highlighted
the importance of this initiative by saying
"I am fully committed to providing the highest possible form
of protection for children against all forms of crime and abuse.
It is a reality that the rapid growth of the internet has opened
up a market for images of child abuse. The European Financial
Coalition will help identify and protect victims of this horrific
crime by following the money trail that takes the police to the
offender. However, in order for the Coalition to be fully
effective, more partners, including the Member States, need to
join it. I am ready to fully support them in their efforts."
The Home Secretary, Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP, joining
Vice-President Barrot in speaking at an international conference
today focused on the issue, endorsed the UK government's
stance on this horrific area of criminality:
"The government is determined to tackle child sex abuse in
all its forms and cracking down on those that make financial gain
from the distribution of these sickening images is a priority. The
UK is a world leader in protecting children offline and online
with our internet service providers blocking access to child sex
abuse images on 95 per cent of all consumer broadband lines. We
are continuing to work with the private sector to make that
coverage 100 per cent.
"This new coalition will unite even more groups at the
international level to track, disrupt, prosecute and seize the
assets of those who profit from these crimes and I urge other
financial and internet organisations to support the work of the
coalition and help the fight against child sex abuse."
The initiative was launched today at an international conference
in London as up to 150 delegates from a number of involved sectors
gathered to discuss the issue.
ENDS
SUPPORTING ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE EFC
"With the launch of the European Financial Coalition we are
taking a major step towards eradicating the commercial
exploitation of children on the internet. Our lawyers worked for a
year to unravel the legal obstacles involved in building this
coalition, so it's a huge achievement to see it being
launched today. We're incredibly proud of the part we have
played in this."
Helga Van Peer, Partner, Allen & Overy LLP.
Contact: Jane Foley, +44 (0)20 3088 3674
"To sexually exploit a child is not only a serious and
shameful crime, it is also a violation of our society and the
fundamental human rights of children, our democratic values and
the morals of mankind. The creation of the European Financial
Coalition (EFC) sends out a signal, not only to society but also
to the individuals behind the criminal networks profiting from
these crimes. The message is simple: we are strong, we are united,
we are committed and we are convinced that we together will make a
difference. Europol urges stakeholders in Europe to join the EFC
in order to support this multi stakeholder approach focusing on
preventing the commercial distribution of images of child sexual
abuse on the internet".
Mr Mariano Simancas, Europol Deputy Director
Contact: Soren Pederson, +31 703025118
"MasterCard Worldwide has always worked aggressively to
identify and eliminate any illegal activity involving the use of
its global payment network. Our ongoing cooperation with local law
enforcement agencies around the globe is crucial in this fight and
continues to provide us with some excellent tools and resources to
help eliminate what has sadly become a complex and growing
industry based on the exploitation of children around the world.
We are proud to be a founding member and applaud the Coalition as
an important initiative for Europe. We are confident that through
collaboration with fellow EFC partners we will be able to mount an
aggressive effort against child abuse here in Europe. The very
nature of the problem requires that we bring to bear the unique
skills and knowledge of each of the Coalition's members and
partners to deliver a unified blow to this illegal industry. Only
through this partnership will we be able to stop the flow of funds
that support the use of child abuse images on the internet and
hopefully move quickly toward eliminating it altogether".
Javier Perez, President, MasterCard Europe
Contact: Louise Herbert, +32 (0)2 352 5647
"Microsoft is committed to help fight commercial websites
that are producing images and movies of children being sexually
abused. Collaboration and information sharing between industry and
law enforcement agencies is absolutely critical to fight
cybercrime more efficiently. We are confident that with the
experience gathered through our programs such as the Child
Exploitation Tracking System and Digital PhishNet, we can make a
valuable contribution to the CEOP." John Vassallo,
Vice-President EU Affairs, Microsoft
Contact: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503)
443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.co
"Building a global fortress is the only way to fight a crime
that knows no geographic or jurisdictional boundaries. The launch
of the European Financial Coalition is a vital step in that process.
Ernie Allen, President and CEO, International Centre for Missing
& Exploited Children
Contact : Catherine Cummings 001-845-729-5934
"PayPal is pleased to become a founder member of the
European Financial Coalition. It underlines our commitment to the
fight against those who seek to profit from child exploitation.
PayPal has a team of highly specialised agents worldwide who work
solely in the area of anti-child exploitation, supported by
sophisticated detection tools. We work closely with the police and
other agencies around the world in the fight against child exploitation."
PayPal UK
Contact: Rob Skinner, +44 (0) 20 8439 2067
"The world wide web has revolutionised the way we live, and
has created a world of immeasurable new opportunities. But these
new opportunities carry new risks, as the Internet has created a
whole new market, a new industry for those who sexually exploit
and abuse children. The need to find European responses to these
global problems becomes every day more pressing. Missing Children
Europe, with its 21 member organisations covering 15 EU Member
States, is dedicated to joining financial, internet and technology
leaders, law enforcement agencies and NGOs across Europe in
challenging the commercial sexual exploitation of children online,
by making it a high-risk, low-profit activity, rather than the
reverse. The sexual exploitation of children constitutes a gross
violation of their most basic rights. No effort should be spared
to bring it to an end." Sir Francis Jacobs, QC, KCMG,
President of Missing Children Europe Contact: Delphine Moralis,
+32 477 44 44 93
"Visa Europe welcomes the creation of the European Coalition
to fight the commercial exploitation of child abuse. Visa's
stance on this issue has been unequivocal - we do not allow our
products to be used to facilitate these transactions. But this is
a fight that cannot be won in isolation. It requires an effort
that combines the abilities of the industry, law enforcement,
national governments and European institutions. We are proud to
support the European Financial Coalition and look forward to
making real strides in helping to keep young people safe online."
Valerie Dias - Executive Vice President, Head of Risk Management,
Visa Europe Contact: Paul Ravenscroft, +44 (0)20 7795 5390
"Children are the most valuable resource on the world:
that's why they deserve and require from everyone a strong
attention, as well as protection. Luckily, the European Financial
Coalition becomes operational today. It is a significant tool to
effectively strengthen cooperation of international Law
Enforcement Agencies, Financial Institutions and Non Governmental
Organizations working together for the time in Europe in this contest.
From the Law Enforcement perspective, Postal and Communication
Police Service of the Italian "Polizia di Stato" is very
proud to have promoted the initiative together with CEOP, with the
support of European Union."
Mr. Domenico Vulpiani, Director of Postal and Communication
Police Service of the Italian National Police.
Contact: Sergio Staro, +39 (06) 465 30130
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The announcement of the EFC comes on the day over 150 European
delegates from across all sectors visit London for 'An
Indecent Profit: Preparing a European response to combat the
commercial distribution of child abuse images' conference
which runs until Wednesday 4th March (please note that the
'An Indecent Profit' conference is not open to media).
2. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, is
leading the EFC initiative in partnership with MasterCard,
Microsoft, PayPal, VISA Europe, Europol, the Italian National
Postal and Communication Police and the NGO Missing Children
Europe. The founding members of the new coalition are joined by
Allen and Overy and ICMEC - the International Centre for Missing
and Exploited Children - as advisory members to the EFC.
3. The CEOP Centre works in both online and offline environments
to protect children from sexual exploitation. Full information on
all areas of work as well as online safety messages and access to
online reporting can be found at ceop.gov.uk.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS FOR JIM GAMBLE:
Clive Michel, Miriam Rich, Vicky Gillings, Hannah
Bickers
CEOP Centre Press Office
0870 000 3434