GBI CRACKDOWN ON CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION DURING COVID-19 CRISIS

Since March 16, 2020, when Georgia public elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools ceased in person classes, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit, along with other GBI regional offices, have executed 16 exigent search warrants related to online child sexual exploitation.

In addition, the GBI CEACC Unit has assisted other agencies with similar search warrants. As a result, the GBI has arrested 15 individuals for the possession, distribution and/or production of child sexual abuse images. Some of those arrested were also charged with the associated crime of child molestation.

Consequently, the GBI CEACC Unit has rescued 8 children from situations in which they were being sexually abused. Other previous child victims were also identified but the offender no longer had access to the child. Some of the offenders subsequently indicated they had numerous undetected victims. It is possible additional victims will be discovered as more interviews are conducted and digital forensic analysis of digital devices occurs. Additional charges and arrests may be forthcoming.

During the unprecedented COVID-19 quarantine, there has been an understandable concern that abused children will be at home more often with their abusers and without contact with mandatory reporters such as teachers who may normally notice abuse indicators or be available to hear and report an outcry by a child. Additionally, as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine, children have been online using various social media applications, chat rooms, and various gaming platforms more often than they were before. Each of these are prime online locations where sexual predators will attempt to solicit conversation with children for the purpose of enticing them for sexual purposes.

While the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit executes this mission daily, it is continuing to do so while schools are out to actively work to find and rescue children from those that are sexually abusing them. Instances in which there is a belief that a child is in danger are always acted on immediately. This has not changed during the period of quarantine.

Through cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the GBI CEACC Unit and the GBI coordinated Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force are able to find children being sexually abused by working investigations involving child sexual abuse images. The large majority of these cybertips contain information reported to NCMEC by Internet service providers. The cybertips are most often related to child sexual abuse imagery, but are many times also related to the online enticement.