Helsinki police reveal sexual abuse of more than 60 children across Finland

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The Helsinki Police Department have uncovered a total of 70 sex crimes against children. The victims are 66 underage girls and boys across Finland. At the time of the offences, the children in question were 10 to 17 years old.
      Three men in their 40s and living in the Greater Helsinki area are suspected of the crimes. The alleged sexual abuse has been going on since 2006.
      District Prosecutor Harri Ilander reports that the victims of one of the men were 35 boys aged 13 to 15.
      In some of the cases the sexual abuse continued for a couple of years. Some cases involved only virtual sex, while some chats on the Internet led to a date involving even physical contact.
     
All three suspects had contacted the children first on Internet chat forums. The investigations into the series of crimes have revealed further that two of the suspects have been in contact with each other, exchanging pictures of underage children.
      ”A child has spent time on the computer in his or her own room. The parents have believed that their child is safe, while he or she has actually been a victim of sexual abuse”, reports DCI Kari Tolvanen from the Helsinki Police Department.
      ”This is the first time for the police to obtain detailed information about the contacts between suspects. We will now have to examine the potential forums for their meetings”, Tolvanen says.
      The problem is that the victims do not dare or do not know how to tell their parents or any other grown-ups about the matter, Tolvanen notes. Only in one of the cases was it the child who contacted the police.
      ”In general, the children first deny being victims. The revelation comes as a shock to the entire family”, Tolvanen observes.
      ”Boys are even more ashamed than girls, as the prepetrator is most often a man. In such cases it is more difficult to make the crime known”, Harri Ilander says.
     
Most of the suspected crimes involve sexual abuse of children. In some cases the suspects have even had intercourse with their victims.
      Typically, the crimes have involved sending images of children on the Internet, the use of a webcam, and detailed discussions on sexual matters.
      The suspects have managed to come into contact with children by giving the victims false information about their age and gender.
     
According to Tolvanen, the cases do not involve any force or violence. The children have been rewarded with money and alcohol.
      ”The suspects have denied all accusations, and the police will be hard put to find enough evidence for the prosecutor to press charges. In some cases the suspects have even regarded themselves as benefactors”, Tolvanen concludes.
      The police have completed the preliminary investigations and the final records were forwarded to the prosecutor on Thursday. The police are disclosing only a limited amount of information regarding the cases, saying that they have to protect the victims of sexual abuse.
     
Tolvanen notes further that at present the police has a number of similar new cases under investigation.
      In total, the number of sex offences has increased significantly in Finland over the last few years. In 2003, the police were notified of more than 1,500 cases in the entire country, while last year the corresponding figure was 2,900. The largest growth has been recorded in crimes against children.
      Research Officer Hannu Niemi from the National Research Institute of Legal Policy says that another factor that could partly explain the growing numbers is the fact that today police are increasingly often notified of these incidents.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Underage victim of reported sexual abuse fails to turn up at police hearing (5.8.2008)
  Police investigate reports of large-scale child abuse in southern community (19.9.2005)

Links:
  The National Research Institute of Legal Policy

Helsingin Sanomat