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Article

27 Nov 2019

Author:
Sochan Ry, The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia: Child Protection Unit creates an online group to combat any form of child sexual exploitation and abuse

"Child Protection Unit forms online group to fight cyber exploitation", 25 November 2019

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) has established Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) – an online group created to combat any form of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

…, ICU operations director James McCabe said the ICAC will carry out its work in cooperation with the National Police.

McCabe wrote: “The Commissioner-General of the Cambodian National Police formally approved the establishment of ICAC ... Operations will commence immediately.

“There is still some procedural work to be done to ensure we are using best practices and gather[ing] the evidence but we are very excited to be a part of this important work.”

McCabe told … that the penalty would be relative to the crime committed. An offender guilty of grooming a child with the objective of committing illicit sexual acts will be punished severely.

Similarly, possession of pornographic materials will receive a different penalty. “So far we’ve already had one arrest of an offender [earlier this year] – a local offender who groomed a 12-year-old, then encouraged the minor to have sex with him,” the CPU operations director said…

Chou Bun Eng, the secretary of state and permanent vice-chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), told … that the ministry will primarily focus on surveillance against predators on the internet.

“It is important to monitor online communication channels which most of our kids use. Children are not the only ones who use these channels; even adults do. Opportunists will take advantage of these channels to prey on children,” Bun Eng said…