A study of photos and videos in INTERPOL’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database has found the younger the victim, the more severe the abuse was likely to be. A report published today by INTERPOL and ECPAT International also highlights the urgent need for better understanding of online exploitation and for more resources to be allocated towards victim identification. Information on more than one million media files of child sexual exploitation and abuse material from around the world and stored in the ICSE database was analyzed as part of the ground-breaking research. A detailed examination was conducted of a random selection of 800 series of videos and images. Of these, 84 per cent contained explicit sexual activity, assault, gross assault, sadism or other ‘problematic paraphilias’ such as bestiality, humiliation or necrophilia. Infant victims More than 60 per cent of unidentified victims were prepubescent, including infants and toddlers. They were also more likely to be subjected to abuse and exploitation featuring an additional paraphilic theme. A link between gender and level of abuse was also identified, with severe abuse images more likely to feature boys. “Unfortunately most people do not realize that when we talk about child abuse, we are also speaking about very young children, babies who are just months old, being the victims of extreme sexual assault,” said Bjorn Sellstrom, INTERPOL’s Crimes Against Children (CAC) unit coordinator, “Victim identification is at the core of INTERPOL’s work in connecting global investigations into online child sexual abuse. “This report underlines the need for more countries to connect to the ICSE database and become part of this important network of investigators dedicated to rescuing child abuse victims,” added Mr Sellstrom, “This study will help raise awareness of the challenges facing law enforcement and encourage stronger support in developing victim identification efforts globally,” Identifying offenders Experts agree that the vast majority of online child sexual abuse material is made by those in the victim’s circle of trust. Identifying the victim is a priority, as well as providing an opportunity to remove the child from harm. It is often the first step in identifying the offender. “While millions of videos and images of children being sexually abused or exploited are uploaded every day, the vast majority of both victims and offenders remain unidentified,” said Dorothy Rozga, Executive Director of ECPAT International. “This study addresses a pressing need to address the lack of research and indicators on unidentified children depicted in this kind of material, as well as the quality of the response by law enforcement around the world.   Other messages from the study Law enforcement officials face multiple challenges in identifying victims and offenders, even with powerful tools such as the ICSE database. A significant proportion (61%) of analyzed series contained images and videos which were both abusive and exploitative. In the vast majority of the analyzed series from child modelling sites, both abusive and exploitative material was visible. Accurate determination of core characteristics of victims such as their age is a challenge, particularly across ethnic groups. Even though most offenders were men, women were also involved in the abuse and exploitation of children where it is clear their role is complicated. The phenomenon of ‘youth-produced sexual imagery’ appears to present a challenge to international law enforcement. This is both in terms of the detection and integration of these type of images into databases, and the identification and classification of its victims. “What is needed now is a coordinated global action. Almost all countries in the world have committed to ending the sexual exploitation of children but you can’t end what you can’t measure,” said Ms Rozga. To date more than 12,000 victims of child sexual abuse around the world have been identified via the ICSE database. Towards a global indicator on unidentified victims in child sexual exploitation material represents unique cooperation between INTERPOL and ECPAT International. It is a key component of a larger programme called the ICSE Database Connectivity and Awareness Raising Enhancements (ICARE) Project, co-funded by the Internal Security Fund of the European Union and carried out between 2016 and 2018.

Dahua Technology has been honored once again as the recipient of iF Design Award, this time for its industrial camera – ‘Eye in the Sky Robot.’ iF Design Award is among the most prestigious and largest design competitions in the world. Since 1953, designers, manufacturers and users have looked to iF as a sign of good design. With 6,402 entries from 54 countries, iF Design Award has seen a record number of submissions this year. Never before have so many products and designs been entered into the competition. The members of the jury faced a difficult task. After 3-day long examination and deliberation by a panel of 63 international jurors who are experts in design, industry and architecture, Dahua ‘Eye in the Sky Robot’ industrial camera, stood out as the winner. What distinguished Dahua industrial camera is the advantage in innovation and product design, resulting from graphic processing technologies as well as designing experience accumulated from more than a decade time. This product demonstrated the core competency of Dahua R&D center and institutes of advanced technologies in ISP software, algorithm, hardware, structure, ALT testing etc. For Dahua, it is not the first time being recognized by internationally renowned design award. In 2014, Dahua HD Sync Auto Focus Camera also won an iF Product Design Award. The same year also saw Dahua full HD TV Box recognized by iF Product Design Award as well as Red Dot Award. Dahua NKB5000 ultra-high definition (UHD) decoding network keyboard won both iF Design Award 2017 and Red Dot Award 2017, the latter of which was also given to Dahua full coverage positioning PTZ camera.

While in-store audio is wellestablished, the potential for music and audio in enhancing the retail customer experience and driving sales is still largely untapped. In announcing a number of strategic partnerships, Axis network audio technologies now integrate with several subscription-based music services to enable tailored background music for business in primarily retail establishments. By partnering with these music services, Axis can now offer a complete solution for retailers who wish to easily manage all aspects of their in-store audio. By partnering with leading music services, Axis can now offer a complete solution for customers who wish to easily manage all aspects of their in-store audio. Background music for business has a significant impact on the behavior of customers in-store. A study by one of the new Axis partners, Sound-track Your Brand, found that in a restaurant environment, playing background music that reflects your brand’s identity can boost sales by an average of 9.1% compared to music which doesn’t. The existing Axis network audio technology provides a host of use cases, including targeted public address functionality and integration with video analytics. By partnering with providers of customizable background music, Axis can now offer a complete suite of easilymanaged, in-store audio solutions. Axis announces partnerships with Sound-track Your Brand, Royal Streaming, MUSIC2BIZ and Pinesker Media Company. “Traditionally, in-store audio has been used for functional staff and customer announcements, or generic background music,” commented Håkan Hansson, Global Product Manager Audio, Axis Communications, “However, research shows that tailored music, combined with strategic announcements, can actively help move customers towards a sale. When combined with Axis network audio devices, the partnerships we have announced today will allow retailers to deliver tailored audio consistently across their store network, supporting core brand values and enhancing the customer experience, with the high reliability associated with a 100% digital system.” These music services for business can be fully integrated with existing Axis network speaker systems without any additional hardware or software, allowing for the seamless integration of scheduled and ad hoc announcements with tailored music. They can also work with non-Axis audio systems through AXIS C8033 network audio bridge, enabling the connection of both analog and digital audio systems.