The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a not-for-profit organisation set up by the IT industry to monitor obscene images on the web, has reported that less than one per cent of the child pornography on the internet is hosted in the UK.

In its 2005 annual report the IWF found that just 0.4 per cent of obscene images were hosted in the UK. The US topped the list at 40 per cent, with Russia close behind at 27.9 per cent.

"A reduction from 18 per cent to under one per cent in less than a decade, and the removal of such material, is a UK success story," Alun Michael, minister of state for industry and the regions, told vnunet.com .

Although the UK is making real progress in tackling child pornography, the number of sites reported to the IWF last year rose to 23,658 from 17,255 in 2004. Of last year's reports 6,128 were found to be illegal, nearly double the 2004 total.

The US hosts nearly half of the free images of child abuse, and over a third of pay-per-view sites. Russia hosts 34.9 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

"The governments of the US and Russia need to up their game and stem the tide of child pornography leaving their virtual shores because it is putting children across the world at risk," said John Carr, new technology adviser at children's charity NCH .

Peter Robbins, chief executive of the IWF, praised US internet providers for reacting promptly when notified and taking down sites and message boards hosting such content.

"It is difficult to see abusing children as freedom of speech," he said. " Most US ISPs will take content down, but there's a huge amount of work to do in Russia."

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