The reports by the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) show Delhi topping the list in uploading Child Sexual Abuse Material.
A Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official told The Indian Express that over 25,000 cases of suspected child pornography material were uploaded across social media platforms in India in the last five months. The revelation comes from reports shared by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
A private non-profit organisation established by the US Congress in 1984, NCMEC, whose mission includes reducing children from sexual exploitation and preventing their victimisation. In addition to similar issues related to children. The organisation tracks child pornography online using tip-offs from individuals and service providers, and other numerous software.
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The obtained information is then shared with law enforcement agencies in the form of “Tipline reports.”
The Indian government had signed an agreement with NCMEC last year following which they have started sending their Tipline reports on child pornography videos being uploaded online. “As of January 23, we have received over 25,000 such reports over the past five months,” The Indian Express quoted an MHA official as saying.
According to the NCMEC report, most of the Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) was uploaded in Delhi.
“While Delhi has topped the list of states where most child porn is uploaded, other top states include Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP and West Bengal. Depending upon what the police agencies in these states find in investigations, FIRs will be registered,” the Ministry of Home Affairs official said.
In June last year, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) (Amendment) Bill, 2019, widened the definition of child pornography. The amended law now covers any visual depiction, including “photograph, video, digital or computer-generated image indistinguishable from an actual child, and image created, adapted, or modified, but appear to depict a child”.
The official added that FIRs will be registered based on the findings by police agencies in the states. A senior IPS officer from Maharashtra said that these cases were geo-tagged, and Excel sheets with PDFs attached passed on to jurisdictions under which the locations were based. Also, seven FIRs have already been registered in the state.
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