Kochi | The establishment of a dedicated police unit to combat online child sexual exploitation in Kerala serves as a model that should be replicated at international level, Robert Leventhal, chief, Global Policy and Programs Division, US Department of State's Bureau of INL said on Saturday.

Addressing a session on tackling online facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation at cOcOn, an international hacking and cybersecurity conference organised by the Kerala Police in Kochi, Leventhal said complementing awareness raising and robust enforcement is a powerful tool to deter online abuse and promote justice for victims.

He urged the stakeholders to modernise and strengthen international standards to counter and prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse.

"Online child sexual exploitation and abuse is such an important issue, and the most vulnerable among us deserve our best efforts to protect them," he said, adding that cybercrime and cyber-enabled crimes are significant and growing threats to the national and economic security of our individual countries.

He said estimates predict that the cost of global cybercrime will grow by 15 per cent per year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.

"The Kerala Police department's work to develop a dedicated police unit countering online child sexual exploitation in the state is a wonderful example of what we need to see more of on a global scale," he added during his address.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday inaugurated the 16th edition of International Cyber Security and Policing Conference, cOcOn, here.