International and internet child sexual abuse: The typology, extent and nature of known causes, and their implication for policy and practice

There has, in recent years, been a
growing awareness and concern
over cases of child sexual abuse
which have an international dimension
or which involve the internet. This has led
to a series of developments in policy and
practice. In terms of legislation, this
includes passing of, for example, the
Sexual Offenders Act 1997, allowing for
the prosecution in the UK, of British citizens
for sexual offences they have committed
abroad1, the Criminal Justice and
Court Services Act 2000, which increased
the maximum penalty for the possession,
taking and distribution, of child pornography
to 5 years and 10 years imprisonment
respectively2, and the Sexual
Offences Act 2003, with its provisions
against the trafficking and grooming of
children (both online and offline). Beyond
legislation, other measures comprise, for
instance, the setting up of the Home
Office Task Force on Child Protection on
the Internet3, establishment of the Child
Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)
Centre4 and special police operations to
monitor unaccompanied children entering
the UK5.