FIVE ASIAN COUNTRIES ARREST 435 IN SWEEPING BUST ON CHILD X-RELATED CRIMES

Sun 06 April 2025:

After a joint global probe, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong detained 435 individuals in large-scale operations targeting criminals linked to child X-related crimes

According to Seoul’s Yonhap News, South Korea alone nabbed 374 suspects, with 258 caught for possessing or viewing child sexual abuse material, 74 identified as content creators, and 42 tied to distribution networks.

Hong Kong police have apprehended seven people, including a teenage boy who took intimate photos of his younger sister, reports South China Morning Post.

Bonnie Ngan Hoi-ian, chief inspector of the Hong Kong police cybersecurity and technology crime bureau, said intelligence exchange between Hong Kong police and counterparts in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea resulted in the arrest of 435 suspects ranging in age from 13 to 68 between February 24 and March 28, the daily added.

Japanese authorities have also held 111 people on charges of child prostitution and violating child pornography laws, according to the Kyodo News.

Twenty-one men have been arrested in Singapore.

“These crimes cause irreparable harm to children and require a strong international response, as digital exploitation transcends borders,” said an official from the National Office of Investigation, as quoted by the media outlet.

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Child exploitation crimes, particularly online, are surging globally. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported over 36 million cases of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM), a 360% jump from a decade ago.

This spike is driven by several factors: the internet’s expansion has made it easier for predators to access and share content, with 87% more CSAM reported since 2019. Emerging tech like generative AI is fueling new threats, creating hyper-realistic abuse imagery and enabling financial sextortion, where kids are coerced for money under threat of exposure.

Online grooming has soared—up 80% in four years—often shifting to encrypted apps to evade detection. Meanwhile, child-on-child offenses now account for over half of reported cases in some regions, reflecting shifting dynamics. Law enforcement struggles with encrypted platforms and cross-border perpetrators, while societal factors like increased digital reliance among kids amplify vulnerability.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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