BKA: Investigators are “Restricted not Powerless”

According to the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), infants and toddlers are increasingly becoming victims of child abuse—at least on videos found on the darknet child abuse forum “Elysium.”

German authorities reported that the percentage of under-six-year-olds abused in videos or photos has risen in recent over the last three years. Information like this, according to the BKA, has grown increasingly easy to compile; this is due to the foreign and international police cooperations and collaborations in darknet child abuse forum/site investigations. With new help and connections, darknet child abuse investigators are restricted in what they can do but not powerless.

See the previous article where a BKA investigator talked about needing legislation changes

In 2017, German authorities have investigated 24 percent more cases connected to child abuse media on the internet than in 2016. According to the Hessian Ministry of Justice, there were 14 percent more investigations in 2016 than in 2015. ZIT prosecutor Julia Bussweiler said that, in more recent media, child abuse has grown increasingly violent. “We often see videos in which sexual violence is exercised,” she said.

Johannes-Wilhelm Rörig, the abuse representative of the Federal Government, said the increase was surprising. “More and more frequently, abusive acts are filmed and distributed on the darknet,” said Rörig.

“Particularly appalling are the rise of the toughest, even sadistic scenes of violence, as well as the increasing number of abuse pictures of toddlers and babies.”

Officials have also called for regulation that allows victims to reach out to the authorities (at some point in their lives) in an effort to remove any content still out there. These officials have also called for more action from the government that specifically focuses on the children.