Osmocop: a new World Observatory against paedophilia

(Feb. 15, 2012) A highly specialized Office for monitoring, analyzing, processing and reporting online paedophilia is to work alongside the New Centre for Child Protection established by the Institute of Psychology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. The Office called Osmocop, was launched on Tuesday morning during a press conference at Vatican Radio. Just a couple of days after the closing of the symposium for bishops and religious superiors on sexual abuse, and the launch of an e-learning center for child protection based in Munich, Germany, Vatican Radio’s Director General Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, played host to the Italian Association Meter that presented its annual report, and illustrated a new World Observatory against Paedophilia, known by its Italian acronym - Osmocop. The founder of the association, Fr. Fortunato Di Noto, is well known for his tireless work informing civil and judicial authorities on the presence of criminal organizations on Internet, and for the support and counselling his association offers to victims of paedophilia. He said Osmocop offers a substantial and important contribution to the fight against the scourge of online paedophilia, which is escalating alarmingly, as demonstrated by Meter’s annual report. This is also being done, thanks to the collaboration of experienced professionals in the fields of technology and psychology, who are able to identify and evaluate criminal paedophilia organizations and individuals.
Fr.Di Noto said that Osmocop also aims to educate people on how to monitor and report suspicious sites, to raise awareness and to promote the proper use of the internet by minors.