A review of trends in arrests and investigative techniques of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation crimes, also known as Child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Pictures, videos, goals, objectives and methodology are included in this report, followed by surveys at the national and case level. Results and other findings are organized into 14 topics, including types of technology-facilitated sex crimes against children, the characteristics of offenders and victims, how police investigate these crimes, and differences in crimes committed by online offenders versus family members and family acquaintances. In addition, this report addresses the problem of minors sharing sexually explicit material with other minors.
The recommendations of the report include suggestions that improvements are needed to law enforcement record-keeping protocols in ways that can assist the identification of technology-facilitated crimes against children, the need for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) need to be prepared to recognize and respond to the variety of ways the crimes may be perpetrated.
The report also recommends the continuation and expansion of undercover investigations in identifying and prosecuting persons who pursue minors for sexual purposes as well as the importance of multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary collaboration and expertise in these cases. The International Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC) is also seen as a valuable resource for identifying and apprehending the predators responsible for these crimes.
This report includes 20 tables, 20 infographics and 6 figures. Some of these are incomplete due to issues in gaining accurate data and the COVID-19 Pandemic, among others.