Talks to tackle net paedophiles

"Online" enticement is said to be growing

Children's charities and internet service providers in the UK are to meet with the police and the home secretary to discuss how to fight internet paedophiles.

Disadvantaged children who have most to gain from IT often have the least opportunity to access it and are most at risk.

NCH Action For Children spokesman

The talks with Home Secretary Jack Straw on Wednesday follow last week's report by the Internet Crime Forum, which highlighted the need for vigilance over the use of internet chatrooms.

The report said online enticement of children, particularly girls, by criminals was growing.

The talks also coincide with the launch of a campaign by the leading children's charity NCH, which is calling on the government to draw up a strategy to ensure safe internet access for all children.

Exposed

The crime forum report said children risked being exposed to inappropriate conversation, becoming the subject of sexual fantasy and being encouraged to perform sexual acts on themselves.

More monitoring is needed, says children's charities

Families were advised to move computers from children's bedrooms to living rooms to protect them from paedophiles preying on the net. Internet service providers were called on to expand the monitoring of chatrooms.

The report said this should focus particularly on those used by teenagers, after it found that most chatrooms being scrutinised catered only for children up to the age of 12.

The NCH charity is also concerned that socially excluded children are not receiving the same protection as other youngsters using the internet.

Police raids

A spokesman for NCH said: "We want to highlight the fact that disadvantaged children who have most to gain from IT often have the least opportunity to access it and are most at risk.

"NCH is calling for the creation of a national strategy that fully exploits the opportunities of IT, whilst controlling its risk, and puts the needs of vulnerable and socially excluded children at the forefront of future policy development."

NCH has published a campaign booklet recommending how the government, child-care professionals and parents can play a role in making computer technology available to all children.

The latest moves come a day after police swooped on suspected internet paedophiles from across the UK and the Irish Republic in a series of early-morning police raids.

The investigation, known as Operation Appal, followed a three-month investigation by Greater Manchester police's obscene publications unit.