As if novel coronavirus COVID-19 weren’t enough to worry about, the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) announced earlier this week that there has been a disturbing increase in child pornography cases in Costa Rica between 2014-2019, as reported by Interpol Crimes Against Children Taskforce. In 2015, 43 cases were investigated of child pornography, but that number has now risen to 137 cases. These cases were discovered via Costa Rica’s participation in “Operation Tantalio”, an investigation spearheaded by Spanish police working in conjunction with Interpol and Europol.

As recently as early February, in El Roble de Alajuela, a couple was detained on suspicion of rape, sexual attack, and videotaping the assault of a female baby of one year and eight months. Director of the OIJ Walter Espinoza explained, “The accused, last name Morera, attacked the baby with the assistance of the child’s babysitter. The babysitter was also captured by the OIJ”. She allegedly helped Morera sexually abuse the baby, videotape it, and put it up online.

In recent months authorities have reported a significant spike in people detained for production, possession, and distribution of child pornography – some children merely babies. Espinoza stated, “In this country, we have a serious problem with the possession and dissemination of child pornography, and the problem is growing.”
OIJ’s Director of CyberCrimes Erick Lewis explains possible reasons for this increase in cases: “Some of this child pornography is created for people’s personal pleasure. Others use it as a very profitable source of revenue – a single “hot” video can make the creator as much as $5,000. Chat groups for child pornography have expanded worldwide, allowing people to sell and trade the product relatively easily and safely.”

In 2017, two Costa Ricans were among 39 people arrested for being active in a crime network spanning some 18 countries in both Europe and Latin America, distributing child pornography via the instant messaging service WhatsApp, according to the Spanish police. Police were working with Operation Tantalio, who had been monitoring the Ticos’ activities on the “dark web” via a browser known as Tor, which conceals a user’s online activity. Their last names are Matamoros and Rojas.

A recent study revealed that over 50% of websites exclusively accessible via Tor were dedicated to illegal activities: drug and arms smuggling, money laundering, hiring assassins, and child pornography. Spanish police said that photos and videotapes seized showed “humiliating treatment” and “excessive brutality” involving children from babies to children up to eight years old.
According to Bjorn Sellstrom, Interpol’s Crimes Against Children Operations Coordinator, “Criminals will continue to exploit new technologies to share videos and images of child abuse around the world, at the push of a button. But actions like Operation Tantalio send a strong message: police across the globe will continue to work together to bring justice to those engaging in or benefitting from these heinous crimes against children.”

It is encouraging to know that Costa Rican authorities are participating vigorously in this campaign to protect children, and stop the flow of child pornography in and out of the country. While children are out of school due to the COVID-19 virus, authorities “call on all parents, neighbors, and childcare givers to be alert to this situation and help protect our children.

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