The Namibian police have sternly warned those who are engaging in child pornography on the dark web, saying law enforcement remains committed to protecting children.
The Head of Namibia's Criminal Investigation Directorate, Commissioner Lilungwe Mayumbelo, spoke to nbc News Reporter Gordon Joseph.
Commissioner Mayumbelo says the advent of technology has led to a market for online sex exploitation of minor children and that Namibia is not immune to these concerns.
"Issues pertaining to online child sexual exploitation where kids as young as two years are being groomed by untoward individuals, recording images of themselves, and publishing or selling this on the dark web. It's about time we move as fast as we can in terms of changing the legal framework that governs these aspects. It will make it very easy for law enforcement because we depend on the laws being passed that empower us to act. When these things occur, it is something that is disturbing and something that we are picking up in collaboration with other law enforcement partners across the world. Some people are using minors to perform sexual acts to sell online on the dark web."
The dark web is a part of the internet that is not found by normal search engines because the sites there are not indexed by search engines.
It often holds some dark and illegal activities.
In 2020, a Windhoek resident, Johann Wickus Maree, was arrested for, among other acts, using minor children to allegedly produce pornographic content that was shared or sold on the dark web.
According to media reports, videos obtained through investigations show minors performing various sexual acts in bathrooms.
He is accused of selling the videos on the internet using a highly encrypted server for his transactions.
"We have the capacity as law enforcement, and we have engaged in rigorous training of our members. We are in the process of collaborating with Interpol to build capacity in this area, so those that feel they can do it on the dark web and law enforcement won't see it, we are on their track."