Law officers meet to combat online child abuse [1]
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - 17:51. Updated on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 - 10:28.
Combatting online child abuse is at the forefront of a cybercrime workshop hosted by the Pacific Island Law Officers’ Network in Nuku'alofa this week from June 12-15.
Tonga’s Acting Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions ‘Aminiasi Kefu said the PILON working group decided to combat the crime of online child abuse as a basis of this training.
“It is an emerging crime in the Pacific that requires urgent addressing by policy makers, legislators, law enforcement and prosecutors."
He said after the first workshop last year it was made clear by Pacific colleagues that they wanted more ways to gain knowledge and experience to combat cyber crimes.
"We hope at end of this workshop you gain knowledge and skills that will encourage you to make effective impact against cybercrime, despite our challenging resources," he said.
Global crime
Tonga’s Minister responsible for Information and Communication (MEIDECC) Hon. Poasi Tei in his keynote address said online child abuse is prevalent across the globe and there needs to be an universal approach to prevention.
He said the Pacific should be into this global effort and collaboration. The objective of the workshop is to empower Pacific communities to work together to deter, detect and prosecute online child abuse.
"Every day goes by and there is a multiplying need and reliance for access to online services whether it is commercial, communications, education, government purposes or social intentions. While, the number of children online customers increases, as they also have the right and developed a need for the vast amount of information and entertainment available in cyberspace."
He said in doing so our children become accessible to cyber criminals who have the sick infatuation to exploit children for their own demonic pleasures, and there are also other children and youth who use the cover and remoteness of cyberspace to relentlessly harass and bully their peers, and there are the evil traffickers of explicit material of children.
“As policy makers, investigators and prosecutors, we need to fight this battle with equal vigour as we do to approach other current overwhelming challenges we face here in the Pacific such as climate change, natural disasters, corruption, and illicit drugs.”
He said Tonga has laws to deal with some online child abuse, and they have investigated and prosecuted the rare cases detected. Tonga is in the process of expanding its criminal provisions on online child abuse.
The laws needed updating with harmonisation to meet changing criminal behaviour on a national and regional level, and also to establish regional and international networks for investigators, he said.
Issues discussed at the workshop included cyber safety and community awareness, role of telecommunications and social media in combatting online child abuse and bullying, and law enforcement experiences in investigating child abuse online.
PILON cybercrime attendees are senior law officers from Australia, Cook Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu with various law enforcements, ICT Policy Officials, experts from international partners such as the Council of Europe, Australia Federal Police, U.S Department of Justice, NZ Police with officials from Facebook and Telstra Australia, Tonga Police and local telecommunication providers.
The workshop is supported by the Australian Government through its Attorney General’s Department, the Council of Europe, EU through GLACY Plus and Tonga’s Attorney General’s Department.