Kochi, 7 October 2026: Senior police leaders from 16 States spent two days in Kochi this week working on one of the hardest problems facing law enforcement today: the sexual exploitation and abuse of children online. Project Lighthouse, a CSEA Senior Leadership Workshop on “Leading the State Response to Online CSEA,” was held at Crowne Plaza, Kochi, on 6 and 7 October 2026. It was hosted by the Cyber Operations wing of Kerala Police in partnership with Childlight – Global Child Safety Institute at the University of Edinburgh, and Kindred Tech, a New Zealand-based company that builds investigative technology for law enforcement and child protection.
Unlike a routine training course, the workshop was designed for the officers who set direction, allocate resources, and answer for results in their States. Its message was simple: online child abuse crosses district lines, State boundaries, and national borders within minutes, so the response must be led from the top and built across States.
The Kochi Agenda and What Comes Next
The workshop closed with State teams drafting the “Kochi Agenda,” a shared set of priorities for the year ahead. Participating States will be supported through a mentoring model and peer exchange, and will report back on their progress at c0c0n 2027. The longer-term vision is a network of “Lighthouse States” that together strengthen India’s collective response to child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Valedictory Ceremony and Leadership Insights
At the valedictory ceremony on the evening of 7 October, Smt. R. Nishanthini IPS (Inspector General of Police, South Zone) delivered the welcome address, and Shri Manoj Abraham IPS (Director General of Police and Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau) delivered the special address. The valedictory address was delivered by Shri Ravada Azad Chandrasekhar IPS, DGP and State Police Chief, Keralam. Mr. Kelvin Lay of Childlight and Mr. Peter Pilley of Kindred Tech offered felicitations, and Shri Ankit Asokan IPS (Superintendent of Police, Cyber Operations) proposed the vote of thanks.
In his valedictory address, the State Police Chief stated:
“Online child abuse does not respect borders. No State can fight this alone, and no police force can fight it only at the level of the police station. It needs leadership at the very top.”
He told the officers that Kerala did not claim to have every answer:
“What we offer is our experience. Take what works. Adapt it to your State. And make it better.”
He added, “Kerala is proud to be the first lighthouse. But our real hope is that each of your States will become a lighthouse of its own.”
Next Steps at c0c0n 2026
The participating officers now move on to the Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Track at c0c0n 2026—Kerala Police’s international cybersecurity conference—taking place on 9 and 10 October 2026 at Grand Hyatt, Bolgatty, Kochi. c0c0n has hosted a dedicated child safety track every year since 2018, and this year’s track brings in speakers from INTERPOL, UNICRI, the UK Home Office, and leading Indian organizations.
