Child pornography convictions up 40 percent

Created: 08/09/2022, 08:47

A detective sits in front of an evaluation computer investigating child pornography and sexual abuse.

© Arne Dedert/dpa/Illustration

In fact, crime is going down in the Southwest.

But crimes related to child pornography cause the investigators headaches - the number of convictions is exploding.

The reason lies in the USA.

Stuttgart - More and more people in Baden-Württemberg have been convicted every year for possessing, distributing or acquiring child pornography.

The number of convictions rose by a full 40 percent last year - from 382 in 2020 to 535 convictions in 2021, as the German Press Agency in Stuttgart learned from the Ministry of Justice.

In 2020, the number had already increased by 15 percent compared to 2019.

Child pornography is, for example, images of serious sexual abuse of children.

According to the Justice Department, the increase is due in particular to the steadily increasing number of suspicious activity reports from the US non-governmental organization “National Center for Missing and Exploited Children” (NCMEC).

This forwards thousands of tips on child and youth pornography related to Germany to the local law enforcement authorities.

Regarding Baden-Württemberg, 804 tips were received in 2019, in 2020 there were already 1660, in 2021 there were 2825 tips.

"Unfortunately, child pornography will continue to be a massive challenge for the judiciary in the future," said Justice Minister Marion Gentges.

One reason is tightening of the law.

As of July 2021, for example, possession, distribution and acquisition of child pornography is a crime by law.

Hiring due to insignificance or subject to conditions and instructions is no longer possible.

dpa