The Hotline.ie Annual Report 2019 will show the largest number of child sexual abuse material reports classified since 1999, and a year-on-year increase of 79 per cent on 2018 figures.
Speaking about the report, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Helen McEntee TD, welcomed the publication of the updated Code of Practice for Hotline.ie, the national reporting service for potentially criminal content online.
In the foreword to the updated Code of Practice, The Minister stated:
“For over 20 years Hotline.ie has supported collaboration between Gardaí and industry partners and plays a vital child protection role in combatting the illegal, harmful and predatory use of the internet.
"I am very grateful to the staff of Hotline.ie for their commitment and professionalism in addressing this dreadful crime."
The updated Code takes account of the rapidly evolving online environment, advancements in technology, new uses of technology and the internet, and new forms of online behaviour.
“I welcome the launch of the updated Code, which seeks to offer further protections to the victims of the proliferation of heinous child sexual abuse material, and also to members of the public and employees who may be exposed to the harmful effects of this material online.
This all comes at a time when, as noted in EUROPOL’s recent ‘Exploiting Isolation’ report, the world is witnessing a significant surge in the consumption and dissemination of child sexual abuse material online during the COVID-19 crisis.
