Child abuse has worsened during the pandemic with crimes linked to indecent images increasing by more than half in 2020, a report in Germany has revealed.
With many leisure activities for children closed, lockdowns have left them more vulnerable to being exploited on the internet.
The German report noted similar findings by Europol and specialist agencies in Britain and the US, which reported alarming increases around the world.
“We’ve reached a tipping point – we have to prevent the system from collapsing,” said Johannes-Wilhelm Roerig, a German government commissioner for sexual exploitation.
German crime statistics showed 18,700 cases of crimes linked to illegal images of children in 2020, a 53 per cent increase from 2019.
Some images were spread by children who did not understand what they were sharing or were persuaded to do so as a dare.
Cases of young people possessing or sharing such images have increased fivefold since 2018.
“It’s important that we make our children aware of these dangers and teach them to use the internet in a safety-conscious way,” said Holger Muench, president of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office.
Europol said last year that home-schooling and video calls meant children’s lives had become more reliant on the internet.
“Sex offenders have found in this development a tempting opportunity to access a broader group of potential victims,” it said.
More opportunities for abusers during lockdown
Schools went through prolonged periods of closure around the world as countries battled successive waves of Covid-19.
The German report said online forums on the dark web were being run in an ever more professional way.
There were thousands of cases in which criminals could not be identified because of hidden IP addresses.
“Our defensive efforts must focus on places where children and young people are,” Mr Roerig said. “That increasingly means social networks and online games.”
There was also a rise in physical abuse in 2020, with 14,500 cases of child molestation, marking a 6.8 per cent rise from the previous year.
The findings came after Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on Tuesday issued its own warning over the potential impact of the pandemic.
The NCA said lockdown was likely to have given some sex offenders greater access to their victims at home.
Children will have had less access to confidants and health professionals whom they could have alerted to the abuse, the NCA said.
A helpline called Stop It Now!, which encourages people worried about their own behaviour to seek help, recorded an 11 per cent rise in calls last year, the NCA said.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
HAJJAN
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
