Child Abuse Sites Soar

The number of sickening internet sites showing the most severe forms of child sex abuse has quadrupled in just three years, a report said today.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said 29% of the web pages reported to it last year showed children suffering such abuse. The IWF also showed the reports of child sex images on the internet was up 34%.

IWF chief executive Peter Robbins said: “The increase in reports processed by our hotline team is due in part to the increased awareness of our organisation but also to the identification of a growing trend in the use of remote image storage facilities.”

More than 80% of child sex abuse sites are hosted in the US and Russia, up from 67% last year.

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