The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) Deputy Chief Prosecutor Claudia-Ionela Curelaru said on Thursday that prosecutors have recently been facing a growing number of child pornography cases, noting that since 2016 the Directorate has received 500,000 reports from the United States containing raw data on the phenomenon.
Claudia-Ionela Curelaru is seeking a new term as DIICOT deputy chief prosecutor. During the interview held at the Ministry of Justice, she was asked about the need to develop integrated methodologies or guidelines for conducting criminal investigations in order to ensure more efficient handling of certain categories of offences under DIICOT's jurisdiction.
In this context, the prosecutor stated that DIICOT has recently been dealing with an increasing number of child pornography cases and that a significant volume of data has been received from the United States, making a unified methodology necessary for analysing the information.
'There is already a methodology being developed within the Cybercrime Directorate, which will support criminal investigations in cases involving child pornography. We are facing a growing number of such cases. From 2016 to the present, we have received 500,000 NCMEC reports (referrals via the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children platform - ed. note), which represent raw data containing child sexual abuse material. These NCMEC reports are transmitted by non-governmental organisations in the United States and then forwarded, through EUROPOL, to the countries where this phenomenon is particularly prevalent. Last year alone, Romania received between 50,000 and 60,000 NCMEC reports, and currently 100,000 are under review. Depending on the IP addresses identified by officers from the Organised Crime Directorate, the cases have been assigned to territorial organised crime units. The vast majority of complaints filed by judicial police officers are based on these materials, which initially come in raw form,' Claudia-Ionela Curelaru explained.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) platform represents the leading non-profit organisation in the United States dedicated to locating missing children, reducing child sexual exploitation and preventing victimisation.
DIICOT's activity report for last year also notes an increase in child pornography offences, particularly the self-production of pornographic material followed by its distribution, as well as online 'grooming' of minors on social media platforms with the aim of subjecting them to sexual abuse.
The report further states that child pornography involving computer systems is mainly manifested through the distribution and exchange of pornographic files, especially via mobile applications such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and Messenger.
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