Centro de Documentação da PJ
Analítico de Periódico
CD 368
Using survey data from offenders on the dark web to combat online child sexual abuse and exploitation [Recurso eletrónico] / Hanna-Mari Lahtinen ..[et al.]
European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin, Luxembourg, Special conference (Edition n. 7, 2026), p. 71-81
Edição especial da conferência n.º 7, da “CEPOL R&S Conference 2024/2025”, subordinada ao tema “Tackling the World of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN)", que teve lugar em Ostia (Roma), nos dias 25 a 27 de março de 2025. O presente artigo baseia-se no trabalho de COST Action CA22128 (ImpleMéndez), suportado pela Cooperação Europeia em Ciência e Tecnologia (COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
CRIME SEXUAL, CRIME CONTRA CRIANÇAS, CRIME VIA INTERNET, PORNOGRAFIA INFANTIL, PEDOFILIA
A 2024 report by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute reveals that over 300 million children are victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation annually, indicating a hidden global pandemic. As a form of cybercrime, child sexual exploitation is one of the EU’s priorities in the fight against serious and organised crime, and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation has recognised Dark Web networks as one of the key threats in child sexual exploitation. Most child sexual abuse material (CSAM) offenders remain undetected, limiting our knowledge of their motivations and behaviours. Existing research has largely relied on samples of convicted offenders, potentially overlooking important nuances within the broader offending population. This paper presents a model to collect data from CSAM offenders on the Dark Web and summarises results from a study on the data, focusing on differences between charged and uncharged CSAM users. Data includes responses from 3 782 anonymous offenders actively searching for CSAM or seeking help for their use of CSAM on the Dark Web. We compare three groups of CSAM searchers: (1) those admitting charges of sexual crimes against children; (2) those admitting charges of sexual crimes against adults; and (3) those admitting no charges. Additionally, we discuss the implications of the research for practitioners and how to use this information to target prevention strategies more effectively.
