As you are all aware, there is an increase in pornographic and sex videos of child sex predators and traffickers, promoting and grooming children and in particularly boys into acts of sex abuse and exploitation. They are groomed and engaged in sexually explicit acts of oral sex, unnatural practices of anal sex and other indecent practices. The majority of the victims are usually very vulnerable and from extremely poor backgrounds, some with a history of sexual abuse or domestic violence. The ultimate aims is to get the child to agree to join the child sex network to make money.
In some of the videos, young boys and girls are streamed live on Tiktok, being victimized by child sex predators wearing face masks and shields. The young boys and girls are under the control of the Criminal Sexual Networks and gangs, who make vast profits off the exploitation and hundreds of boys and girls.
The challenge we have is that the activity is secretive and not visible, because victims are reluctant to go to the police and report. The victims are recruited, groomed, paid under methods of coercion and control that is difficult to break through, by highly skilled local recruiters, operating in largely poor ghetto areas. Where the victims do not come forward to report their cases, it becomes difficult to identify the perpetrators.
This is not acceptable and we shall ensure as the Joint Security Agencies that we do everything within our means to safe guard our children. We also call upon the public and all child defenders and rights groups, local leaders and the community, to team up with the police in fighting child sex abuse and exploitation. We have dedicated teams of detectives whose role is to target the suspects exploiting children and bring them to book.
Anyone with information about the dissemination of child abuse material and physical sexual abuse of children is urged to contact the National Operations Command Centre on telephone contacts 0707600773/0776999136 or 0800199699. Information is treated in strict confidence.
SCP Enanga Fred
Police Spokesperson
20th February 2023
