Child pornographic material emanating from Sri Lanka is on the rise, according to Austrian officials who busted a child pornography ring in the world. A Reuters report said 2,361 suspects in 77 countries had paid for Internet videos showing children being subjected to “the worst kind of sexual abuse”. Officials said on Wednesday 607 of the suspects were in the United States, 466 in Germany, 114 in France and 23 in Austria.
Hits on a Russian web page offering these videos had also been recorded in Algeria, Iceland and Venezuela. Investigators believed the videos were produced in Eastern Europe and uploaded to the site from Britain.
Most of those under investigation were suspected of distributing the digital videos after watching them,
Austria’s Interior Minister Guenther Platter told a news conference.
Eight videos downloaded from the Internet site, which has been shut down by investigators, displayed “the worst kind of sexual abuse of children”, Platter said. The youngest victim was 5 years old. Investigations to learn the fate of children abused in the videos and catch those who molested them are continuing.
Investigator, Erich Zwettler, said the overall volume of child pornography on the Internet had remained steady of late although an increase in material coming from Asia, mainly Vietnam, Sri Lanka and North Korea, was noticeable.
Possession of pornography involving children under 14 could result in a prison term of up to two years in Austria while producing and distributing child pornography is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Hits on a Russian web page offering these videos had also been recorded in Algeria, Iceland and Venezuela. Investigators believed the videos were produced in Eastern Europe and uploaded to the site from Britain.
Most of those under investigation were suspected of distributing the digital videos after watching them,
Austria’s Interior Minister Guenther Platter told a news conference.
Eight videos downloaded from the Internet site, which has been shut down by investigators, displayed “the worst kind of sexual abuse of children”, Platter said. The youngest victim was 5 years old. Investigations to learn the fate of children abused in the videos and catch those who molested them are continuing.
Investigator, Erich Zwettler, said the overall volume of child pornography on the Internet had remained steady of late although an increase in material coming from Asia, mainly Vietnam, Sri Lanka and North Korea, was noticeable.
Possession of pornography involving children under 14 could result in a prison term of up to two years in Austria while producing and distributing child pornography is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years.
