The Centre for Missing and Exploited Children is launching a summer campaign called "The best swimming costume for children is the one they wear" to raise public and parental awareness of the importance of children wearing swimming costumes to prevent covert recordings by sex offenders, it was announced on Monday.

The campaign is being organised in cooperation with the police authorities of Istria and Split-Dalmatia counties.

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the exploitation of children for pornographic purposes has increased for the fourth year in a row. Compared to 2022, there was an increase of 4.5% last year, with the number of cases rising from 440 in 2022 to 460 last year.

51.5 per cent more victims in 2023

“The prescribed sentence for this type of offence is one to ten years in prison,” said Tomislav Ramljak, founder of the Centre.

In 2023, a total of 300 offences of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children committed against children up to 14 years of age were registered, an increase of 51.5 % compared to 2022.

The goal is a partnership to prevent unwanted incidents, reduce the number and protect child victims while actively working to identify and prosecute perpetrators, Split-Dalmatia County Police said. They pointed to an incident in Rovinj where a man was recording children with a hidden camera in a wristwatch.

Hidden cameras can also be found in ballpoint pens, portable coolers or bottles.

Exploitation of children for pornographic purposes is the second most reported offence

Every year before the start of the tourist season, we train security staff and tourism employees to recognise suspicious behaviour in good time and inform the police, said Istria County Police.

Parents are urged to be vigilant, dress their children in swimming costumes and post photos of their children responsibly on social media. They are also advised to be wary of suspicious people who may be recording children and to report any suspicious behaviour to the police immediately.

Last year, 221 victims of child exploitation for pornographic purposes were registered in Croatia, 167 of whom were girls and 54 boys. The most represented age group among the victims was 14 to 16 years.

In cyber crime, exploitation of children for pornography is the second most reported offence, with an increase of 10% in 2023, Ramljak said.

Of the 180 reported perpetrators who abused children for pornographic purposes, 111 were under 21 years old. Foreigners make up 11% of the offenders.

It was also said that the number of offences of sexual abuse and exploitation of children is also increasing in cases of peer violence.