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Strategic alliance between the Public Prosecutor's Office of Guatemala and Internet Watch Foundation to promote actions to protect children

Guatemala, March 31, 2021. The Public Prosecutor's Office and the Internet Watch Foundation signed a cooperation agreement that aims to develop actions in the implementation of the IWF portal service, with the purpose of linking the Public Prosecutor's Office complaint portal to this platform so that any user can report suspected child sexual abuse material online.

This strategic alliance between the MP and IWF was possible thanks to the support and coordination of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Central America and the Caribbean in Panama (UNODC ROPAN), through its office in Guatemala, which provided specialized technical support throughout the process, as part of the cooperation relations between both entities.

The reporting portal will be a tool available to the Public Prosecutor's Office against Trafficking in Persons of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Guatemala for the criminalization of the production, distribution, export and possession of child sexual abuse material online. Through the portal it will be possible to eliminate images that, over time, violate the fundamental rights of children, violate them and revictimize them.

At the same time, the portal is an instrument of denunciation for the Guatemalan population, facilitating mechanisms that promote a greater culture of denunciation in the country. It is a technological tool that will allow the evaluation of child sexual exploitation or abuse sites and facilitate safe and confidential reporting. 

The Attorney General of the Republic of Guatemala and Head of the Public Prosecutor's Office, Consuelo Porras, expressed her gratitude to UNODC for having made possible that "as the Public Prosecutor's Office we can strengthen the fight against child sexual abuse on the Internet through this partnership with IWF".

She also explained that, with this strategic alliance, Guatemala joins the 45 countries that have a web portal that identifies and eliminates images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Heidi Kempster, IWF's chief operating officer, urged people to report child sexual abuse on the Internet, and to take advantage of the report.iwf.org.uk/gt portal, which offers a safe and anonymous way to help keep children safe online.

Luisa Fernandez, Project Coordinator of UNODC Guatemala, highlighted that the implementation of these innovative and cutting-edge reporting mechanisms allow everyone to put an end to child sexual abuse in Guatemala with a single click.