During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of online child sexual abuse has increased, Reuters reported referring to the Europol head Catherine De Bolle.

Cybercrime skyrocketed during the epidemic, and many people were forced to work and shop online.

“What is most worrying is the increased online activity by those seeking child sexual abuse material,” De Bolle told a hearing in the EU Parliament.

According to her, national law enforcement agencies from EU 27 member states reported increasing pedophile activity, which noticed wider access to illegal websites and closed more online platforms for exchanging materials on child pornography.

She said Europol’s investigators also intercepted offenders who claimed it was easier for them to access children while talking on the dark web, a part of the Internet that could only be accessed with special software or permission.

According to De Bolle, sexual intruders are trying to take advantage of the growing accessibility of children on the internet, since online lessons are practiced during quarantine, sometimes through platforms that are not sufficiently protected.

“We expect to have more and a better view on the situation when children will be able to go to school again and they will have the possibility to talk to teachers,” De Bolle told lawmakers.

She said more abuses were received on the abuse reporting hotlines.

“Using the internet to sexually exploit children today is easier than ever,” said ECPAT, a network of civil society organizations against the commercial sexual exploitation of children. It said it was now simpler for pedophiles to get in contact with children and to find like-minded offenders, “which also makes it easier to access, download, produce and share child sexual abuse material”.