News

The latest crime and justice publications from the AIC and resources from around the world are now available from our Alert Service. Popular topics can be accessed from the drop down list and wherever possible full text is provided via an Electronic Resource link.


Newest publications
Child sexual abuse material and end-to-end encryption on social media platforms: An overview  (July 2022)
Crime & justice research 2022: Online sexual exploitation of children  (July 2022)



 

The AIC has released a new publication that showcases research focused on understanding online sexual exploitation of children and identifying ways to reduce this problem. It presents work in three broad categories:

• understanding the nature of child sexual abuse material and contact sexual offending (chapters 1 to 6);
• strategies and approaches to tackle the problem (chapters 7 to 11); and
• live streaming of child sexual abuse (chapters 12 to 15).

Taken together, this significant body of research provides new insights into the contemporary nature of online sexual exploitation of children, which can help inform policy and practice.

Read Crime & justice research 2022: Online sexual exploitation of children

The AIC has released a new publication that showcases research focused on understanding online sexual exploitation of children and identifying ways to reduce this problem. It presents work in three broad categories:

• understanding the nature of child sexual abuse material and contact sexual offending (chapters 1 to 6);
• strategies and approaches to tackle the problem (chapters 7 to 11); and
• live streaming of child sexual abuse (chapters 12 to 15).

Taken together, this significant body of research provides new insights into the contemporary nature of online sexual exploitation of children, which can help inform policy and practice.

Read Crime & justice research 2022: Online sexual exploitation of children

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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will present an update on the 'Listen First' initiative, with a contribution from a youth member on their experience. ISSUP Czech Republic will follow with a contrast and compare presentation on their dealings with youth in the Czech Republic. The aim is to create awareness of 'Listen First' among youth and professionals in substance use prevention, and how they can access materials, and create awareness of ISSUP Czech Republic’s work in the DDR field, particularly with respect to prevention. Presenters: Jenny Roston Lundström, UNODC As a UNODC Consultant, Jenny coordinates the dissemination, outreach, and partners' engagement around the global campaign 'Listen First,' an initiative started by the UNODC Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Section to increase support for science-based drug use prevention worldwide. She is also the producer and co-owner of Ethan Films, the film production company that created the 'Listen First' materials since 2016. Jenny has fifteen years of professional experience working in the international field of human rights and film production. She has produced and provided research for documentary and fiction projects for television broadcast and cinema, numerous films, and public service announcements for organizations such as the United Nations TV, OHCHR, UN WOMEN, UNODC, CTBTO, and UNISDR, amongst others. She has also worked extensively with Civil Society Organizations in Europe and South Asia, and worked within international human rights mechanisms, as a previous NGO Human Rights Officer. Jenny has a master’s degree in Human Rights from Lund University, Sweden. Eva Djordjevic, former UNODC Youth Forum Member and Current Representative for Safer Youth Norway Helena Horalek, ISSUP Czech Republic & Charles University, Prague

15 Sep 2022

Online

Why implement anti-burglary interventions when, as a result, burglars will merely relocate their activities to another nearby area? It is sometimes believed that implementing prevention interventions, such as CCTV cameras, will simply cause offenders to shift their activities to different locations, change their methods or find new targets. Yet this is only one of the possible outcomes an intervention can bring about. In practice, crime displacement is often outweighed by two other outcomes: a ceasing of crime and the diffusion of crime prevention benefits.

During this webinar the EUCPN mythbuster "Does crime prevented mean crime displaced?" will be presented, followed by a Q&A session. “Mythbusters” are short papers focused on a common misconception in the crime prevention field & aim to support practitioners and policymakers to be more effective in their work. The webinar takes place on Thursday 15 September 2022 between 14:00 - 14:30 CET. Participation is free but registration is mandatory. The access link will be sent prior to the webinar.

25 Oct 2022

Online

In line with the needs of the field and to provide practitioners with the appropriate knowledge and skills to carry out effective evaluations, Ghent University has been commissioned by the EUCPN to develop a teaching package. This package consists of educational material to support the training and a manual for delivering the training. The webinar will give a look at its content.

The webinar takes place on Tuesday 25 October 2022 between 14:00 – 15:00 CET. Participation is free but registration is mandatory. The access link will be sent prior to the webinar.

10 Nov 2022

Online

Despite considerable progress towards the establishment of an inclusive society, people whose sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics do not conform to heteronormative standards are discriminated against and are denied equal human rights to this day.

The webinar (and related paper) will highlight the importance of a victim-centred approach to preventing repeat hate crime victimisation of LGBTI people. Given that it might be hard to prevent LGBTI people from ever experiencing hate-motivated violence or harassment, it seems reasonable to focus on those who have already fallen victim to it and try to prevent them from being victimised again by reducing the likelihood of recurrence, and to make sure they feel safe and empowered by mitigating the fear of crime. A united front of repeat victimisation prevention and victim support is thus crucial.

The webinar is organised in light of the Czech Presidency of the EUCPN, which focuses on working with a particularly vulnerable crime victim. The webinar takes place on Thursday 10 November 2022 between 10:00 – 11:00 CET. Participation is free but registration is mandatory. The access link will be sent prior to the webinar.

• Using data from four states—New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia—this research explored the characteristics of contact child sexual offences involving an alleged offender who has a prior recorded history of alleged child sexual offences.
• Results show these offenders represent a small group of motivated, persistent offenders who are willing to adapt their offending to target new and different victims in different contexts.
• Understanding the role that opportunity plays in incidents that occur following contact with the criminal justice system, and considering the potential intervention options for recidivist offenders, offers a promising avenue of investigation.

Read Exploring the role of opportunity in recidivist child sexual offending

Thursday, November 10th 2022

Per capita, the UK has one of the highest rates of recorded acid attacks in the world, and London has been described as the acid attack hotspot of the Western world. According to Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), the UK saw 452 reported acid attacks in 2017, increasing to 501 reported attacks in 2018. The number of violent offences in London involving acid or other corrosive liquid stood at 66 in 2012 but rose to 752 in 2019, according to Metropolitan Police statistics. ASTI report that of the 2078 acid attack crimes recorded in the UK during the period 2011-2016, only 414 of those resulted in charges being brought. More recent data from the Met Police found four out of five attacks never reach trial. Research suggests that many of the attacks are part of gang related activities and that acid is becoming the weapon of choice. Men tend to be the perpetrators and women are very often the victims of these attacks. Acid attacks can be used in robberies, burglaries, revenge attacks, during thefts of mopeds or to intimidate witnesses, in domestic violence, and due to religious or racial hatred.

The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 is the first piece of UK legislation to refer to corrosive substances in a criminal context and has made it an offence to possess a corrosive substance in a public place and to sell certain harmful corrosive products to under 18s. Following on from the 2017 expansion of stop and search powers more generally, in 2019 the then Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, provided the police with further stop and search powers to help them target those using corrosive materials illegally.

Speaking about the 2019 Act, Jabed Hussain, who had acid sprayed in his face by robbers trying to steal his bike in Hackney in 2017, said: “More needs to be done. The legislation is feeble and the criminals are smarter than the law.” Dr Simon Harding, associate professor in Criminology at the University of West London, has said that criminals had turned to acid because it is cheap, easily available and instils fear in both rivals and the public. ASTI have pointed out that many of the countries where acid violence occurs possess high levels of violence against women and that education is critical to combatting acid attacks. Writing in a March 2021 research paper, Matt Hopkins et al argue that preventative interventions could be developed, including controlling the availability of corrosive substances, developing legislation to deter potential offenders from possession and use, focusing on interventions that reduce the receptiveness of individuals to the idea of carrying and using corrosives, and working with communities where carrying and use is prevalent.

This symposium therefore offers police officers, community wardens, acid attack support groups and local authority members the opportunity to evaluate the impact of the Offensive Weapons Act on tackling acid attacks, assess how the legislation can be strengthened and conviction rates increased, develop ideas to support victims, and share best practice in preventing this cruel form of violence.

Programme

• Examine the Offensive Weapons Act, its impact in tackling acid attacks and the case for strengthening the legislation
• Establish an understanding of the motive behind acid attacks and how they relate to other serious crimes including gang violence and honour based violence
• Analyse the best approaches for police to take when tackling acid attacks in local areas
• Assess how to reduce access to acid and other corrosive substances
• Examine why convictions for acid attacks are so low and how to increase convictions rates
• Discover approaches to best supporting those whose life has been affected by acid attacks
• Uncover the causes for the significant growth in acid attacks since the early 2010s
• Understand the impact of ‘stop and search’ policies and how to utilise them effectively
• Learn how retailers can help in the reduction of the sale of corrosive materials to dangerous individuals
• Assess the criminal, policing, societal and cultural developments that have contributed to the rise in acid attacks over the last decade
• Discuss preventative measures including, police officers carrying acid testing kits

To register for the briefing, please click here.

 

1

Abstract

Using data from four states—New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia— we explore the characteristics of contact child sexual offences involving an alleged offender who has a prior recorded history of alleged child sexual offences of any kind.

These offenders accounted for a very small proportion of alleged child sexual assault offenders known to police. Almost all were male. A significant minority engaged in both contact and non-contact offences, and these offenders were more likely to target multiple victims and be involved in multiple incidents. Most offenders targeted new victims—acquaintances and family members—in residential settings. Transitions between victims of different ages and genders were relatively common among alleged offenders following their contact with the criminal justice system, as were transitions between intra-familial and extra-familial victims. Overall, by transitioning between victims of different genders or ages, or from family members to acquaintances or strangers, two-thirds exhibited some degree of versatility in their sexual offending against children.

Results suggest these offenders represent a small group of motivated, persistent offenders who are willing to adapt their offending to target new and different victims in different contexts. Understanding the role that opportunity plays in incidents that occur following contact with the criminal justice system, and considering the potential intervention options for recidivist offenders, offers a promising avenue of investigation.