Without the proper ICT equipment and training, Romanian police have been unable to efficiently investigate and combat the spread of child pornography. In 2007, 25 Romanian internet users were indicted for distributing child pornography. The majority of these investigations were initiated based on information forwarded from police structures in other countries.
Thanks to half a million euro in support from the EEA Grants, the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police will now be able to make combating child pornography a priority. More than 60 new computers will be purchased, and 104 police officers will be trained in combating paedophile networks. Some of these will go on study visits to the Norwegian National Police Directorate in Oslo and to Interpol’s General Secretariat in Lyon, where they will receive training in using the CAID (Internet Child Abuse Image Database); an analysis and identification tool.
Raising public awareness
The project will also raise public awareness about child pornography and abuse. The planned awareness campaign, especially targeting parents and school children, include 1200 presentations for fifth to seventh grade students in Bucharest and 41 counties. Informational videos and audio clips will be broadcasted on national and local television and radio stations. In cooperation with an NGO, the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police will also establish a phone hotline for children and adults who wish to report abuses or get information on prevention methods.
When the project has been fully implemented, the operational capacity of the Romanian police in investigating internet-based child pornography will have been brought up to international standards. Romanian police officers will be able to secure electronic evidence and identify perpetrators more efficiently.
Mutual advantage
At the project's opening seminar in Bucharest, Norway's Ambassador to Romania Øystein Hovdkinn stated that contributing to sustainable social development and strengthening the rule of law in Romania is not only an expression of solidarity from the donor's side. Combating criminal networks spreading child pornography is in the interest of Europe as a whole, and cooperation projects like these forge closer links between the two countries in a long-term perspective and to the benefit of both sides.
Picture credit: Royal Norwegian Embassy, Bucharest.