INTERPOL Identifies Nearly 5,800 Child Sexual Abuse Victims In 7 Months, Laments Rise In Sextortion Cases | Sahara Reporters

The organisation said 2025 recorded the largest annual increase in victim identifications since the ICSE database was created in 2011.

The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has identified nearly 5,800 new victims of child sexual exploitation through its International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database in the first seven months of 2026.

INTERPOL disclosed this in posts on its X account and website on Thursday, saying the number of identified victims had increased significantly in recent years.

The organisation said 2025 recorded the largest annual increase in victim identifications since the ICSE database was created in 2011.

According to INTERPOL, the increase reflects intensified international efforts to combat child sexual exploitation, including the establishment of dedicated national victim identification units, expanded victim identification task forces and stronger cross-border cooperation.

However, the organisation said the increase in identified victims also reflects a growing number of cases involving children who are coerced, manipulated or sextorted into producing self-generated sexual abuse material.

“These cases often generate large volumes of media per victim, increasing the likelihood of detection,” INTERPOL said.

The organisation said its Crimes Against Children unit works to locate and safeguard child victims, block access to child sexual abuse material and identify offenders.

How INTERPOL Identifies Victims
In a separate post on its website, INTERPOL explained that victim identification involves detailed analysis of images and videos to locate and rescue children subjected to sexual abuse.

“Online child sexual abuse is one of the rare crime areas where police officers start with the evidence and work their way back to the crime scene,” the organisation said.

According to INTERPOL, images and videos can be discovered during child exploitation investigations, through proactive monitoring of online platforms or through forensic examination of seized mobile phones, laptops and other digital storage devices.

Once the material is discovered, victim identification specialists examine the images and videos in an effort to identify the children, remove them from harm and facilitate the arrest of perpetrators.

A key tool in the process is INTERPOL’s ICSE database, which uses image-comparison software to help specialists compare and exchange information relating to child sexual abuse material and ongoing investigations.

‘Evidence Of A Serious Crime’
INTERPOL said images and videos documenting child sexual abuse should not be viewed merely as records of abuse, but as evidence of serious crimes.

“Contrary to common beliefs about sexual abuse, the abuser is most often a person known to the child, such as a family member, neighbour or childcare professional,” it said.

The organisation added that most child sexual abuse cases are not documented and usually take place behind closed doors in private settings.

However, when abuse is recorded or photographed, the resulting material may be retained by perpetrators for sexual gratification or shared and traded with other offenders.

“When the abuse is recorded or photographed, however, what is really being documented is evidence of a serious crime,” INTERPOL said.

International Cooperation
INTERPOL said victim identification is highly specialised work requiring investigators and experts from different fields.

Law enforcement officers may work alongside authorised civilian analysts to determine the origin of images or videos and identify clues that could lead to victims or perpetrators.

The organisation said its specialists also work closely with counterparts in other countries because details that may appear unique or recognisable to investigators in one country could be overlooked by investigators elsewhere.

INTERPOL’s Crimes Against Children unit also advises member countries on establishing victim identification units and provides specialised training programmes.

The organisation said it also convenes Victim Identification Task Forces to bring specialists from different countries together to work on unsolved cases involving multiple jurisdictions.

“These operational exercises often lead to the identification of several dozen victims and the launch of numerous investigations,” INTERPOL said.

The organisation said the ICSE database, combined with secure communication networks and international cooperation, remains central to efforts to identify victims, protect children and bring offenders to justice.