Covid-19 lockdowns drive spike in online child abuse

Hudson at the Australian Centre for Child Exploitation offices in Brisbane. As offenders have moved online in greater numbers, Hudson says police have followed them, working more closely across with international counterparts by using virtual tools such as video conferencing. — AFP

BRISBANE, Australia: Out-of-school kids and adult predators spending more time at home and on the Internet during the coronavirus pandemic is the “perfect storm” driving a spike in online child sex abuse around the world, activists and police say.

From slums in the Philippines to Australia’s suburbs, the cross-border crime has mushroomed as offenders take advantage of school closures and lockdowns to reach children – either in person or via social media, gaming sites and the dark web.