Internet users 'stumble across' child porn - Fighting Child Pornography Online

Three quarters of adults using the internet who have "stumbled across" child pornography do not know how to report it.

Research by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) showed 77% of adults who had seen pictures of child abuse on the web did not know what to do about it.

This was despite 70% of users saying the availability of child sexual abuse images was their top concern when using the internet.

Peter Robbins, chief executive of IWF, said: "Internet consumers should know that if they do stumble across these images then it's vital to report them.

"We have international partnerships in place to get these websites removed."

The survey comes as the Government, internet companies and charities back a campaign to promote a hotline run by the IWF.

The national service will allow users who spot pictures of online child sex abuse to report them more easily.

The IWF, which works with police and the online industry, says it has already contributed to the "near eradication of child sexual abuse content hosted in the UK".

And figures show less than 1% of internet child pornography reports have been traced to UK hosts since 2003, down from 18% in 1997.

Nowadays more than 95% of the UK population with residential broadband connections are protected through blocking.

Of 34,871 reports to the IWF during 2007, 10% of images depicted children under two, 33% between three and six and 80% were under 10.

Anyone exposed to child sexual abuse on the internet can report it to the IWF at www.iwf.org.uk .

Sky News