After all, most pornography is not illegal and normally involves consenting adults. Since children can’t consent to being in sexual situations, any photo or video depicting young people in that manner is not pornography at all. It’s evidence of a heinous crime.

“They’re not child pornography, they’re child sexual abuse images,” says RCMP Cpl. Jean-Marc Paré, commanding officer of J Division’s Fredericton-based Internet Child Exploitation Unit. “We’re trying to get away from the ‘pornography’ word because people tend to normalize that word and accept it.”

The images and videos of child sexual abuse used to be much harder to come by but the Internet has changed that over the past couple of decades.

Underscoring that is this week’s simultaneous raids on four New Brunswick residences, where police estimate they have seized millions of images of children being abused.

The bulk of those were found in one Moncton home. Douglas Hugh Stewart, 51, appeared Thursday morning in Moncton provincial court to face charges of possessing child sexual abuse images and to set a date for a bail hearing. He returns to court Monday at 1:30 p.m. for that hearing. He remains remanded.

A 45-year-old Havelock man, a 49-year-old Dumfries man and a Grand Bay-Westfield teen under the age of 18 were also arrested Wednesday.

They were released on strict conditions, including no contact with children under 16, no access to the Internet and an order not to be in possession of computers. They will appear in court at later dates.

“The Internet is a great tool, but it’s also allowed easier access to that kind of material,” says the corporal. “It’s also taken those images to another level. There’s some pretty disgusting stuff out there.”

There’s a wide audience for child sex abuse images, as illustrated by the recent police break-up of the biggest international Internet child-abuse ring ever discovered.

After several years of investigation, it was announced in The Hague, in the Netherlands, recently that Operation Rescue led to the arrest of 184 people around the world and the rescue of 230 children from sexually abusive situations.

The British Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre led the investigation, which began in 2007, and brought together police from Canada, U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The investigation focused on an online forum called “boylover.net,” based in the Netherlands but with subscribers all over the world. Investigators say the network spread to 30 countries with 70,000 members. The website facilitated the exchange of illegal photos and videos of sex abuse.

New Brunswick’s ICE Unit has been involved in many international investigations before, but was not part of this one. Only two Canadians were among those arrested, including one man in Ontario and one in Saskatchewan.

Paré says international investigations with a Canadian connection are usually co-ordinated through the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre in Ottawa, which in turn works with police forces all over the country. Because of the type of crime his unit investigates – sex abuse images, child luring – it’s common for them to deal with police forces all over the country and the world.

For example, he says if a German police force is investigating a case and they find a New Brunswick connection, they’ll forward that information to the ICE Unit for further investigation. Paré says the case of Michael Gary Gilbert, a Tracyville man who pleaded guilty to 11 charges of producing child pornography, sexual touching and sexual assault, was a joint investigation involving the ICE Unit, Toronto Police and also police in Brazil.

“There are no borders for the Internet, so this kind of police work requires co-operation from police forces all over the world,” says the corporal. “

We’re getting better at it.”

The ICE Unit has five officers assigned to it and has “more work than we can handle,” says Paré.

The RCMP’s ICE Unit has been around for about five years and Paré has been with it since 2009. With the kind of images the officers are exposed to on a daily basis, it’s not easy work.

Paré says officers are psychologically tested to make sure they are a good fit for the unit and there is regular follow-up. The RCMP tries to limit the number of years an officer is assigned to the unit and if a member says they need a transfer, it’s provided.

While the subject matter is revolting, when the unit is able to remove a child from a sexually abusive situation, it makes it all worthwhile. The unit has been involved in rescuing six children in New Brunswick over the past few years, including one in Moncton.

“I’ve spent time with Major Crimes and with homicide over the last 17 years but this is probably some of the most rewarding work I’ve ever done,” says the corporal.

“There’s a tremendous feeling of satisfaction when you remove a child from an abusive situation.”

-with files by Brent Mazerolle of Canadaeast News Service

RESCUE OF LITTLE GIRLS FROM PEDOPHILES UNDERSCORES URGENT NEED FOR TOUGHER SENTENCING

Ottawa, Ontario – March 11, 2010 – At the same time Canada Family Action’s Brian Rushfeldt was at a News Conference on Parliament Hill yesterday calling on the government for tougher laws and sentences for child sex offenders, Ontario’s Provincial police chief was announcing the rescue of two little girls from sex offender pedophiles in Ontario and the arrest of 35 individuals.

“Many people believe this is a problem in third world countries, but do not realize the extent to which child sex crimes are occurring right here in our own country,” says Rushfeldt.

“Yesterday’s arrests underscore CFA’s demand for tougher sentences to protect children and deter pedophiles,” says Rushfeldt. “We want Canada to be a safe haven for children, not a tourist destination for child sex criminals.”

Rushfeldt says CFA is concerned that far too often the hard work and lengthy investigations by police are wasted by pathetic sentences that send pedophiles back into the community – sometimes after serving as little as 14 days. “It’s no wonder Canada is viewed as a safe haven for pedophiles. These criminals can permanently destroy the life of a child and suffer little more than the minor inconvenience of a few days in jail.”

CFA is calling for minimum mandatory sentences of 3 years for possession of child sex images; 7 years for distribution, and 10 years for production of the images – those who photograph the abuse and rape of an innocent child.

“If this government is serious about getting tough on crime, they must start by getting tough on crimes against our children who suffer life-long consequences from sex crimes. Every child sex image is a crime scene. I believe the character of a society is measured in how we care for the most vulnerable members of our society. Canada’s children deserve justice.”