Despite Police Efforts, Australia Child Porn Website Back Online
(Photo: Pixabay, Creative Commons)
A website distributing nude photographs of Australian schoolgirls, many of whom are underage, has gone back online despite police efforts.
On the site, users nominate students at particular schools and then they will go looking to take pornographic photos of them. A total of 89 schools are now being targeted, writes Nina Funnell for News.com. The site was originally stopped when authorities noticed it contained images of child pornography. Since coming back online, many more girls and photos have been added to it.
“Sometimes this is almost instantaneous other times they might take it offline for a few days or weeks to let the ruckus settle and then quietly put it back up again,” States Ajoy Ghosh, a leading computer forensic expert in Australia.
Federal authorities had been investigating the site and saw to its removal. With it coming back online, however, a new investigation will have to begin. The Australian Federal police have admitted the site’s re-emergence and are planning to work with international law enforcement partners to find an appropriate course of action.
The Guardian noted that the authorities have been contacted to find out if the investigation is underway or just in the planning stages. In a statement, they reminded the public that even self-taken photos of children under the age of 18 are considered the creation of child abuse pornography. They also reminded parents and teachers to inform children on what appropriate relationships are in both real life situations and virtual ones.
“Darling, don’t be a slut and you won’t end up here. Once a photo is on snapchat or the Internet, it belongs to the Internet,” One user stated to a protesting girl.
The office of Children’s Esafety has stated it is in contact with some involved in the intricate chain for the website. Those who have seen inappropriate images of themselves are being encouraged to report it to the office’s website.
Advice for those who have had their photos taken can be found at eSafetyWomen, notes Rachel Browne for The Sydney Morning Herald. Some schools and colleges are taking safety measures and calling special assemblies to warn female students of the threat and to have them check the lengths of their skirts for their own safety.
Michael Muscat, the principal at Kambrya College, said, “I want to be clear here and say that in no way did we suggest that what girls wear makes harassment or abuse accepted. This is never the case.”
This statement comes on the heels of criticism of the approach as having blamed the girls for having their pictures put up online. Parents and even some experts have called it a paternalistic method. This may put a damper on the Australian federal police’s plans, who have urged victims to come forward and inform local police of the inappropriate pictures.
“The enforcement of our uniform policy and the abuse and the recent exploitation of girls online are separate issues and should be treated as such.In a public discussion about these two issues at Kambrya College they have, however, become linked. We regret this. It was never our intention that this should occur,” Muscat says.
It may be just one of several such websites, all of which contain images of child pornography involving high school girls. While each of these websites is monitored by different groups of people, each has the same basic principles behind them.
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