Hyderabad: Describing Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) as an “organised crime,” legal expert Ravi Kant, advocate and national convenor for Just Rights for Children, underscored the complexity and scale of the issue. Speaking on Day 1 of the SHIELD-2025 conclave on Tuesday, Kant said, “When CSEAM occurs, it is not the work of a single individual but involves multiple people. From producing videos, editing, creating deepfakes, circulating content, uploading across different websites, to selling this exploitative material – it is a massive network that we are yet to fully uncover.”
During a panel discussion on Shielding Innocence – Combating CSEAM — former Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh described CSEAM as a “borderless crime,” highlighting its international links and the lucrative nature of the criminal syndicates behind it.
“It is not just a local issue; this is an international syndicate and an even larger business. Unfortunately, we still lack the necessary tools and resources to tackle it effectively. In Uttar Pradesh alone, we received five lakh tips related to CSEAM online. That meant tracking five lakh service providers and making arrests. But do we have the manpower and resources to achieve that?” Singh said.
He also underlined several challenges faced by cybercrime forces in tackling CSEAM. “The first issue we encountered was determining the complainant. When we receive information about lakhs of children being exploited, who among those children will come forward to file a complaint? The second challenge is viewing and verifying the content. To determine whether the videos or images are real or AI-generated, we need a large number of skilled personnel with technical expertise. These are basic gaps that require immediate attention,” Singh added.
Experts at the conclave also raised concerns about the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in CSEAM production. With AI-generated deepfake content becoming increasingly common, distinguishing between real and fabricated material is posing fresh challenges for law enforcement.
Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, cautioned against complacency regarding AI-generated content. “We are opening a Pandora’s box. If we allow individuals to escape accountability by claiming that the material is AI-generated, it sets a dangerous precedent,” Ribhu said.
