The police in Central Finland said they would continue the investigation into a year-long investigation into the exceptionally widespread sexual exploitation of children, which involves a large number of victims.
Police suspect a young man of sexual offenses against 129 minors. Authorities did not disclose the suspect’s age.
The Central Finland District Court began the trial in February, but police have continued to investigate the case, which will lead to the identification of new victims.
Authorities said they identified 113 victims – aged 5-13 – in February this year.
The suspect in Central Finland is suspected of forcing minors into sexual activity in videos through social media applications, including TikTok and Snapchat. The young man has been in pre-trial detention since April 22, 2021.
The identification of victims involved months of work and extensive international cooperation with agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States, groups working to end the sexual exploitation of children, and platforms where the suspect contacted children. to the police.
Police: Not all victims can be identified
Police said ongoing investigations could still locate more victims, as a total of 199 online user profiles have been linked to the suspect.
Due to the nature of the content, the authorities have not been able to verify the identities of the dozens of children who appeared in the videos sent to the accused.
The pre-trial investigation has shown that only a small proportion of the 129 victims identified so far in the case registered and contacted the adult of their own free will.
Police recommend that parents talk to their children about Internet safety, monitor their showtimes, and encourage them to discuss what they are doing online.
Authorities also suggest that parents ask their children directly if they have been exposed to potentially harmful content.
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Source: The Nordic Page