Sargodha child porn case
Globally this is a vast multi-million dollar industry, and it is virtually out of control
A man has been arrested in Sargodha and confessed to running an internet pornography business that used children as subjects. The business had been running for several years and was uncovered as a result of a tip-off from the Norwegian Embassy, and in that sense a welcome development in terms of international policing. As many as 25 children were abused, their images and video clips sold on the internet, and the accused man himself admitted to being paid between $100 and $400 by his Norwegian partner in crime to make video clips. The children were lured into his office under the pretext of imparting computer training and skills to them, and he reportedly paid Rs3,000 to Rs5,000 to their parents — which begs the question as to why the parents did not themselves question this highly unusual arrangement.
There have been other child pornography ‘scandals’ in the past but nothing quite like this in terms of breadth, international reach and profitability. It would appear that the FIA has solid evidence corroborated by a confessional statement as well as evidence from Norwegian investigators. Whether there will be a successful prosecution remains to be seen, equally remaining to be seen is whether the accused had accomplices in Pakistan.
Although the police are saying this is a ‘first’, it will not be the only instance of child pornography production, and there is copious anecdotal evidence stretching back at least to the turn of the century that child pornography was being widely produced and marketed nationally and internationally. Globally this is a vast multi-million dollar industry, and it is virtually out of control. Arrests are regularly made, and there are efforts to shut down the networks on which images and clips are traded. Pakistan has a part to play in limiting this vile trade, and we hope that the relevant agencies are adequately funded — and as importantly that we listen when children say that they have been abused.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2017.
There have been other child pornography ‘scandals’ in the past but nothing quite like this in terms of breadth, international reach and profitability. It would appear that the FIA has solid evidence corroborated by a confessional statement as well as evidence from Norwegian investigators. Whether there will be a successful prosecution remains to be seen, equally remaining to be seen is whether the accused had accomplices in Pakistan.
Although the police are saying this is a ‘first’, it will not be the only instance of child pornography production, and there is copious anecdotal evidence stretching back at least to the turn of the century that child pornography was being widely produced and marketed nationally and internationally. Globally this is a vast multi-million dollar industry, and it is virtually out of control. Arrests are regularly made, and there are efforts to shut down the networks on which images and clips are traded. Pakistan has a part to play in limiting this vile trade, and we hope that the relevant agencies are adequately funded — and as importantly that we listen when children say that they have been abused.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2017.