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{{Short description|Erotic materials involving minors}}
'''Child pornography''' refers to material depicting ] being in a state of undress, engaged in erotic poses or sexual activity.<ref name=finkelhor1994/><ref name="hobbs">{{cite book|title=Child Abuse and Neglect: A Clinician's Handbook |last= Hobbs |first=Christopher James |coauthors= Helga G. I. Hanks, Jane M. Wynne |year=1999 |pages= 328 |publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences | isbn= 0443058962|quote="Child pornography is part of the violent continuum of child sexual abuse"}}</ref><ref name= O'Donnel,Milner>{{cite book|title=Child Pornography: Crime, computers and society|first=Ian O'Donnel. |last=Claire Milner |year=2007 |publisher=Willan Publishing |pages=p123}}</ref> ] occurs in the production of child pornography when sexual acts are photographed,<ref name="hobbs"/><ref name=finkelhor1994>{{ cite journal | last = Finkelhor| first = David| authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | month = | title = Current Information on the Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse.| journal = Future of Children| volume = v4 n2| issue = Sum-Fall 1994| pages = p31-53 | url=http://eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ497143&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ497143 }}</ref><ref name=sheldon9>{{cite book|title=Sex Offenders and the Internet |first=Kerry |last=Sheldon |coauthors=Dennis Howitt |pages=p9 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2007|isbn=0470028009|quote=...supplying the material to meet this demand results in the further abuse of children. Pictures, films and videos function as a permanent record of the original sexual abuse. Consequently, memories of the trauma and abuse are maintained as long as the record exists. Victims filmed and photographed many years ago will nevertheless be aware throughout their lifetimes that their childhood victimization continues to be exploited perversely.}}</ref><ref name=sheldon20>{{cite book|title=Sex Offenders and the Internet |first=Kerry |last=Sheldon |coauthors=Dennis Howitt |pages=p20 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2007|isbn=0470028009|quote='Child pornography is not pornography in any real sense; simply the evidence recorded on film or video tape - of serious sexual assaults on young children' (Tate, 1992, p.203) ... 'Every piece of child pornography, therefore, is a record of the sexual use/abuse of the children involved.' Kelly and Scott (1993, p. 116) ... '...the record of the systematic rape, abuse, and torture of children on film and photograph, and other electronic means.' Edwards(2000, p.1)}}</ref><ref name=Klain>{{cite book |title=Child Pornography: The Criminal-justice-system Response |first=Eva J. |last=Klain |coauthors=Heather J. Davies, Molly A. Hicks, ABA Center on Children and the Law |publisher=National Center for Missing & Exploited Children |year=2001 |quote=Because the children depicted in child pornography are often shown while engaged in sexual activity with adults or other children,they are first and foremost victims of child sexual abuse.}}</ref><ref name=Wortley17>{{cite journal|title=Child Pornography on the Internet |first=Richard |last=Wortley |coauthors=Stephen Smallbone |journal=Problem-Oriented Guides for Police |volume=No. 41|pages=p17|quote=The children portrayed in child pornography are first victimized when their abuse is perpetrated and recorded. They are further victimized each time that record is accessed.}}</ref> and the effects of the abuse on the child (and continuing into maturity) are compounded by the wide distribution and lasting availability of the photographs of the abuse.<ref name=doj1/><ref name=sheldon9/><ref name=Wortley17/> Legal definitions of child pornography generally refer to any pornography involving a ], with age limitations varying by jurisdiction. For research purposes, child pornography usually refers to any recording (photograph, video, or audio) of sexual activity involving a ] child.<ref name=doj1/>
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}{{Sex and the Law}}
Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and among the fastest growing criminal segments on the ], according to the USA ] (NCMEC), the ] (ICMEC) and other international sources.<ref name=ncmec/><ref name=infoweek>{{cite news |url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/cybercrime/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=O1ALG302BNO2IQSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=183700580&_requestid=16251 |title=As Child Porn Industry Grows, Coalition Launches Counterattack |author=J. Nicholas Hoover |publisher=Information Week |date=2006-03-17}}</ref><ref name=indiatimes>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/203486.cms |title=World wide porn: 260 mn, growing |author=C R JAYACHANDRAN |date=2003-09-26 |publisher=Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd |work=Times of India}}</ref><ref name= Levesque>{{cite book |title=Sexual Abuse of Children: A Human Rights Perspective |first=Roger J. R. |last=Levesque |year=1999 |pages=p65|publisher=Indiana University |isbn= 0253334713}}</ref><ref name=Mattei>{{cite book |title=Investigating Child Exploitation and Pornography: The Internet, the Law and Forensic Science |first=Monique Mattei |last=Ferraro |coauthors= Monique Ferraro, Eoghan Casey, Michael McGrath |year=2004 |pages=p3 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=0121631052}}</ref><ref name=Scherer>{{cite book |title=Victimization of the Weak: Contemporary Social Reactions|first=Jacqueline |last=Scherer|coauthors=Gary Shepherd |year=1982 |publisher=Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd |pages=p108|isbn=0398040435}}</ref><ref name=delisi>{{cite book|title=Violent Offenders: Theory, Research, Public Policy, and Practice |first=Matt |last=DeLisi |coauthors=Peter John Conis |year=2007 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers |pages=p264 |isbn=076375479X}}</ref> Recent investigations include ] that resulted in multi-national arrests and 7 convictions as well as uncovering 750,000 images with 1,200 unique identifiable faces being distributed over the web; ] which occurred in the ]; ]; ]; ] based in the ]; ]; ]; the ] and the ].
'''Child pornography''' (also abbreviated as '''CP''', also called '''child porn''', or '''kiddie porn''' and '''child sexual abuse material'''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Hee-Eun |last2=Ermakova |first2=Tatiana |last3=Ververis |first3=Vasilis |last4=Fabian |first4=Benjamin |title=Detecting child sexual abuse material: A comprehensive survey |journal=Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation |date=September 2020 |volume=34 |pages=301022 |doi=10.1016/j.fsidi.2020.301022 |s2cid=225487613 }}</ref> known by the ] '''CSAM''',<ref name=":0" /> underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law<ref>{{cite news |title='Betrayal: A Father's Secret' documents the dark truth that shatters a family |first=Sean |last=Keane |work=] |date=2024-07-30 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/betrayal-fathers-secret-documents-dark-truth-shatters-family/story?id=112162568 |access-date=2024-09-06 |quote=We don't use that term, child pornography… n adult pornography, those are willing participants who are consenting to that act. With child pornography, a child cannot consent. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826220837/https://abcnews.go.com/US/betrayal-fathers-secret-documents-dark-truth-shatters-family/story?id=112162568 |archive-date=2024-08-26 |url-status=live}}</ref>) is ] material that depicts persons under the designated ]. The precise characteristics of what constitutes child pornography ].<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Ly |first1=Thanh |last2=Dwyer |first2=R. Gregg |last3=Fedoroff |first3=J. Paul |date=2018 |title=Characteristics and treatment of internet child pornography offenders |journal=Behavioral Sciences & the Law |language=en |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=216–234 |doi=10.1002/bsl.2340 |pmid=29659072 |issn=0735-3936 |quote="Most studies do not provide an explicit definition of child pornography. Instead, it seems that the definition largely depends on what the law defines as child pornography. Because of this, the definition of child pornography can change based on the laws that govern the land in which an individual is found guilty. Most of the studies in this article define child pornography as stimuli that are sexual in nature that include persons under the age of 18."|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Gillespie |first=Alisdair A. |date=2018 |title=Child pornography |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13600834.2017.1393932 |journal=Information & Communications Technology Law |language=en |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=30–54 |doi=10.1080/13600834.2017.1393932 |s2cid=261771447 |issn=1360-0834 |quote="There is no single definition of ‘child pornography’ and indeed the term itself remains controversial... The difficulty with this is that there are hundreds of many different definitions available. Even international law cannot agree..."}}</ref>


Child pornography is often produced through online solicitation, coercion and ]. In some cases, sexual abuse (such as forcible rape) is involved during production. Pornographic pictures of minors are also often produced by children and teenagers themselves without the involvement of an adult. Images and videos are collected and shared by online ].
New technology such as inexpensive digital cameras and Internet distribution has made it easier than ever before to produce and distribute child pornography. The producers of child pornography try to avoid prosecution by distributing their material across national borders, though this issue is increasingly being addressed with regular arrests of suspects from a number of countries occurring over the last few years, see above.<ref name=ncmec/><ref name=doj1/> According to the NCMEC, approximately one fifth of all ] is child pornography. <ref name=ncmec/>


Laws regarding child pornography generally include sexual images involving prepubescents, pubescent, or post-pubescent minors and computer-generated images that appear to involve them. Most possessors of child pornography who are arrested are found to possess images of prepubescent children; possessors of pornographic images of post-pubescent minors are less likely to be prosecuted, even though those images also fall within the statutes.<ref name="doj1">{{cite journal |last1=Wells |first1=Melissa |last2=Finkelhor |first2=David |last3=Wolak |first3=Janis |last4=Mitchell |first4=Kimberly J. |date=July 2007 |title=Defining Child Pornography: Law Enforcement Dilemmas in Investigations of Internet Child Pornography Possession 1 |url=http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV96.pdf |journal=Police Practice and Research |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=269–282 |doi=10.1080/15614260701450765 |s2cid=10876828 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927050129/http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV96.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2018 |via=]}}</ref>
==International police enforcement==
] and policing institutions of various governments, including among others the ] enforce internationally. <ref name=doj1/> Even so, the UK based ] said that worldwide an estimated 2% of websites still had not been removed a year after being identified.<ref></ref>


Child pornography is illegal and ] in most jurisdictions in the world.<ref name="ICMEC CSAM 2018">{{cite book |title=Child Sexual Abuse Material: Model Legislation & Global Review |edition=9th |year=2018 |publisher=International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children |url=https://www.icmec.org/child-pornography-model-legislation-report/ }}{{page needed|date=June 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=27 July 2002 |title=World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children |url=http://www.csecworldcongress.org/en/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316121435/http://www.csecworldcongress.org/en/index.htm |archive-date=16 March 2012 |access-date=7 January 2012 |publisher= |df=dmy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malamuth |first=Neil M. |date=2018 |title="Adding fuel to the fire"? Does exposure to non-consenting adult or to child pornography increase risk of sexual aggression? |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1359178917303002 |journal=Aggression and Violent Behavior |language=en |volume=41 |pages=74–89 |doi=10.1016/j.avb.2018.02.013|s2cid=149279109 }}</ref> Ninety-four of 187 ] member states had laws specifically addressing child pornography {{As of|2008||lc=y}}, though this does not include nations that ban all pornography.<ref name="ICMEC CSAM 2018"/>
==Child sexual abuse in production and distribution==
Children of all ages, including infants,<ref name=Infants>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE3DA1330F93AA25754C0A96E958260&scp=1&sq=dutch+sex+ring&st=nyt
|title=Dutch Say A Sex Ring Used Infants On Internet|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref> are abused in the production of pornography internationally.<ref name=doj1/><ref name=sheldon20/> Estimates of the number of children worldwide involved in child pornography range from thousands to hundreds of thousands. "While impossible to obtain accurate data, a perusal of the child pornography readily available on the international market indicates that a significant number of children are being sexually exploited through this medium."<ref name=healty/> The ] estimates that pornographers have recorded the abuse of more than one million children in the United States alone.<ref name= Levesque>{{cite book|title=Sexual Abuse of Children: A Human Rights Perspective|first=Roger J.R. |last=Levesque |year=1999 |publisher=Indiana University Press |pages=p66|isbn=ISBN 0-253-33471-3}}</ref> There is an increasing trend towards younger victims and greater brutality; according to Flint Waters, an investigator with the federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. "These guys are raping infants and toddlers. You can hear the child crying, pleading for help in the video. It is horrendous." <ref>{{cite web|title=The Child Porn Pipeline Part Three: A child victim's story of betrayal and despair|url=http://www.buffalonews.com/339/story/184849.htmlyear=2008 |work=Buffalo News}}</ref>


==Terminology and definitions==
The ] Children's charity ] have stated that demand for child pornography on the ] has led to an increase in sex abuse cases, due to an increase in the number of children abused in the production process.<ref name="gu20040112">{{cite news | title = Internet porn 'increasing child abuse' | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/child/story/0,,1121315,00.html | work = ] | publisher = Guardian News and Media Limited |date=2004-01-12 | accessdate = 2007-06-01}}</ref>
The precise definition of the term "child pornography" varies by jurisdictions and there is no consensus in ] regarding the precise meaning of the word.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" />
In a study analyzing men arrested for child pornography possession in the United States over a one year period from 2000 to 2001, most had pornographic images of prepubescent children (83%) and images graphically depicting sexual penetration (80%). Approximately 1 in 5 (21%) had images depicting violence such as bondage, rape, or torture and most of those involved images of children who were gagged, bound, blindfolded, or otherwise enduring sadistic sex. More than 1 in 3 (39%) had child-pornography videos with motion and sound. 79% also had what might be termed ] images of nude or semi-nude children, but only 1% possessed such images alone. Law enforcement found about half (48%) had more than 100 graphic still images, and 14% had 1,000 or more graphic images. Forty percent (40%) were "dual offenders," who sexually victimized children and possessed child pornography. <ref name=Quayle>{{cite web |url=http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=1504|title=What is Child Pornography|accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=NCMEC| }}</ref>


In the United States, the ] has defined child pornography as material that "''visually'' depicts sexual conduct by children below a specified age".<ref>''New York v. Ferber'', 458 U.S. 747, 764 (1982).</ref> In Canada, child pornography can also entail depictions of fictional minors.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Seto |first1=Michael C. |last2=Eke |first2=Angela W. |date=2015 |title=Predicting recidivism among adult male child pornography offenders: Development of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT). |url=http://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/lhb0000128 |journal=Law and Human Behavior |language=en |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=416–429 |doi=10.1037/lhb0000128 |pmid=25844514 |issn=1573-661X}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the law does not use the term "child pornography", though it does define a series of illegal sexual materials that are commonly regarded as child pornography.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Gillespie |first=Alisdair A. |date=2018-01-02 |title=Child pornography |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13600834.2017.1393932 |journal=Information & Communications Technology Law |language=en |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=30–54 |doi=10.1080/13600834.2017.1393932 |s2cid=261771447 |issn=1360-0834}}</ref> Some English jurisdictions use the ] to sort potentially sexual media involving minors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=Max. |last2=Holland |first2=Gemma |last3=Quayle |first3=Ethel |date=2001 |title=Typology of Paedophile Picture Collections |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0032258X0107400202 |journal=The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles |language=en |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=97–107 |doi=10.1177/0032258X0107400202 |s2cid=148756344 |issn=0032-258X}}</ref>
A recent study in Ireland, undertaken by the ], revealed the most serious content in a sample of over 100 cases involving indecent images of children. In 44% of cases, the most serious images depicted nudity or erotic posing, in 7% they depicted sexual activity between children, in 7% they depicted non-penetrative sexual activity between adults and children, in 37% they depicted penetrative sexual activity between adults and children, and in 5% they depicted sadism or bestiality. <ref name= O'Donnel,Milner>{{cite book|title=Child Pornography: Crime, computers and society|first=Ian O'Donnel. |last=Claire Milner |year=2007 |publisher=Willan Publishing |pages=p123}}</ref>


In the 2000s, use of the term ''child abuse images'' increased by both scholars and law enforcement personnel because the term "pornography" can carry the inaccurate implication of consent and create distance from the abusive nature of the material.<ref name="Akdeniz11">{{cite book |last=Akdeniz |first=Yaman |title=Internet child pornography and the law: national and international responses |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7546-2297-0 |page=11}}</ref><ref name="Wortley">{{cite book |last=Wortley |first=Richard |title=Situational Prevention Of Child Sexual Abuse, Volume 19 of Crime prevention studies |author2=Stephen Smallbone |publisher=Criminal Justice Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-881798-61-3 |page=192}}</ref><ref name="Sanderson">{{cite book |last=Sanderson |first=Christiane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ut4PBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA133 |title=The seduction of children: empowering parents and teachers to protect children from child sexual abuse |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84310-248-9 |page=133}}</ref><ref name="interpolTerm">{{cite web|title=Blocking access to child abuse material – Terminology |url=http://www.interpol.int/Public/THBInternetAccessBlocking/Terminology.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008114025/http://www.interpol.int/Public/THBInternetAccessBlocking/Terminology.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-10-08 |publisher=INTERPOL }}</ref><ref name="nspccCAI">{{cite web|url=http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/policyandpublicaffairs/policysummaries/childabuseimages_wdf56933.pdf |title=NSPCC Policy Summary – Child Abuse Images |date=April 2008 |publisher=National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, London, UK |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626051703/http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/policyandpublicaffairs/policysummaries/childabuseimages_wdf56933.pdf |archive-date=26 June 2011 }}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=November 2023}} A similar term, ''child sexual abuse material'', is used by some official bodies,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last= |date=23 December 2015 |title=Online child sexual abuse material |url=http://www.acorn.gov.au/what-is-cybercrime/online-child-sexual-abuse-material/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801005317/https://www.acorn.gov.au/learn-about-cybercrime/online-child-sexual-abuse-material |archive-date=1 August 2018 |website=ReportCyber {{!}} Cyber.gov.au}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Crimes-against-children/Access-blocking|title=Access blocking / Crimes against children / Crime areas / Internet / Home - INTERPOL|access-date=29 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221084326/https://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Crimes-against-children/Access-blocking|archive-date=21 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/industry-reporting-child-sexual-abuse-material |title=Industry Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse Material - Europol |access-date=29 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817032415/https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/industry-reporting-child-sexual-abuse-material |archive-date=17 August 2016 }}</ref> and similar terms such as "child abuse material", "documented child sexual abuse", and "depicted child sexual abuse" are also used, as are the acronyms CAM and CAI.<ref name="interpolTerm" /> The term "child pornography" retains its legal definitions in various jurisdictions, along with related terms such as "indecent photographs of a child" and others.<ref name="Akdeniz11" /><ref name="Wortley" /><ref name="Sanderson" /><ref name="copine">{{cite journal|title=The COPINE Project |first= Ethel |last= Quayle |issn=1649-6396 <!-- Note that the journal itself lists 1649-639X, an invalid ISSN --> |volume= 5 |date=September 2008 |journal=Irish Probation Journal }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=November 2023}} In 2008, the ''World Congress III against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents'' stated in their formally adopted pact that "Increasingly the term 'child abuse images' is being used to refer to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in pornography. This is to reflect the seriousness of the phenomenon and to emphasize that pornographic images of children are in fact records of a crime being committed."<ref name="Mathew">{{cite journal |last=Mathew |first=Lina A. |title=Online Child Safety from Sexual Abuse in India |url=http://go.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/2009_1/mathew |journal=Journal of Information, Law & Technology |volume=2009 |issue=1 |page=21}}</ref>
Masha Allen, who was adopted at age 8 from the former Soviet Union by an American man who sexually abused her for five years and posted the pictures on the Internet testified before the United States Congress about the anguish she has suffered at the continuing circulation of the pictures of her abuse, to "put a face" on a "sad, abstract, and faceless statistic," and to help pass a law named for her. <ref name=Masha>{{cite web |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=4519048|title= Child-Porn Victim Brings Her Story to Washington|accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=Abc News| }}</ref> "Masha's Law," included in the ] passed in 2006, includes a provision which allows young people 18 and over to sue those who download pornographic images taken of them when they were children in civil court. <ref name=Kerry>{{cite web |url=http://kerry.senate.gov/mass/family.cfm |title=Protecting Children and Families |accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=press release| }}</ref> U.S Attorney Bob Balfe stated that 85 percent of those we prosecuted for child pornography are also child molesters.


==Production==
==Effect on child sexual abuse prevalence in society==
A 2008 review of the use of Internet communication to lure children outlines the possible links to actual behaviour regarding the effects of Internet child pornography.<ref name=Onlinepred>{{cite web |last=Wolak |first=James|coauthors=David Finkehor, Kimberly Mitchell, Michele Ybarra |year=2008 |month=02 |title=Online "Predators" and Their Victims |journal=American Psychologist |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=111-128 |accessdate=2008-03-07 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.63.2.111 |url=http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/amp632111.pdf}}</ref> One perspective is that exposure to child pornography stimulates and provokes criminal sexual intent that otherwise would not exist. Exposure to child pornography might heighten desire and motivation to act on urges by decreasing internal restraints. Anonymity (or belief that anonymity exists) may further loosen the internal restraints, such that the individual "practices" molestation in the imagination, facilitated by still or moving images, which makes actual criminal sexual behaviour with children more probable if the person was already sexually motivated toward children, or, by creating new sexual interests in children . The review article states that these are plausible hypotheses,<ref name="Onlinepred"/> but that there is a lack of clarity as to the general applicability of these mechanisms. The authors also note that, "among some groups of predisposed individuals, easy access to a wide variety of engrossing and high-quality child pornography could serve as a substitute for involvement with actual victims".<ref name="Onlinepred"/>


The characteristics of child pornography production cases varies widely. Some materials are produced through coercion, seduction or coaxing. Other erotic images depicting children are photographed covertly (e.g. showering pictures). Violent "hands-on" offenses (such as forcible rape) are rare in criminal cases of child pornography production, instead most of such cases involve online solicitation, the exchange of gifts and promises of romance. In many cases, child pornography is often produced by minors themselves without the participation of an adult.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Wolak |first=Janis |date=2012 |title=Trends in Arrests for Child Pornography Production: The Third National Juvenile Online Victimization Study (NJOV-3) |url=https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=ccrc |journal=Crimes Against Children Research Center. |quote=}}</ref>
A ] of 341 convicted child molesters found that pornography use added significantly to their rate of sexually re-offending. Frequency of pornography use was primarily a further risk factor for higher-risk offenders, when compared with lower-risk offenders, and use of highly deviant pornography increased the ] risk for all groups. <ref>{{cite journal|author=Kingston DA et al|title=Pornography use and sexual aggression: the impact of frequency and type of pornography use on recidivism among sexual offenders.|journal= Aggress Behav|year=2008|issue=34|pmid=18307171|pages=1–11|doi=10.1002/ab.20250|volume=34}}</ref> The majority of men who have been charged with or convicted of child pornography offenses show pedophilic profiles on phallometric testing.<ref>Seto, M. C., Cantor, J. M., & Blanchard, R. (2006). Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia. ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115,'' 610–615.</ref> A study with a sample of 201 adult male child pornography offenders using police databases examined charges or convictions after the index child pornography offense(s). 56% of the sample had a prior criminal record, 24% had prior contact sexual offenses, and 15% had prior child pornography offenses. One-third were concurrently charged with other crimes at the time they were charged for child pornography offenses. 17% of the sample offended again in some way during this time, and 4% committed a new contact sexual offense. Child pornography offenders with prior criminal records were significantly more likely to offend again in any way during the follow-up period. Child pornography offenders who had committed a prior or concurrent contact sexual offense were the most likely to offend again, either generally or sexually.<ref>Seto, M. C., & Eke, A. W. (2005). The criminal histories and later offending of child pornography offenders. ''Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 17,'' 201–210.</ref>


In April 2018, '']'' reported that of the sexually explicit images of children and teenagers (11 to 15 year-olds) found on the Internet, 31% were made by children or teenagers from November 2017 to February 2018, with 40% in December 2017; 349 cases in January 2017 and 1717 in January 2018. The images were made by children or teenagers photographing or filming each other or as selfies, without adults present or coercing, by unwittingly imitating adult pornographic or nude images or videos (including of celebrities) that they had found on the Internet. The report said that sex offenders trawled for and amassed such images.<ref name="Rudgard">{{cite news |last=Rudgard |first=Olivia |title=Children's own 'sex selfies' fuelling rise in child abuse images |newspaper=] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/18/childrens-sex-selfies-fuelling-rise-child-abuse-images/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/18/childrens-sex-selfies-fuelling-rise-child-abuse-images/ |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>''The Daily Telegraph'', Wednesday 18 April 2018, page 1 (bottom right corner) and page 2.</ref>
According to the ], studies and case reports indicate that 30% to 80% of individuals who viewed child pornography and 76% of individuals who were arrested for Internet child pornography had molested a child, however they note that it is difficult to know how many people progress from computerized child pornography to physical acts against children and how many would have progressed to physical acts without the computer being involved.<ref name="mayoclinic04_2007">{{cite journal |url=http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/pdf%2F8204%2F8204sa.pdf |title=A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism,
Treatment Outcomes, and Forensic Issues |author=RYAN C. W. HALL; RICHARD C. W. HALL |journal=Mayo Clin Proc |date=2007-04 |volume=82|issue=4 |pages=457–471 |accessdate=2008-05-09}}</ref> A study conducted by psychologists at the ] has concluded that "many Internet child pornography offenders may be undetected child molesters", finding a slightly higher percentage of molesters among child pornography offenders than the Mayo Clinic study, though they also "cautioned that offenders who volunteer for treatment may differ in their behavior from those who do not seek treatment." The study was withdrawn by Bureau officials from a peer-reviewed journal which had accepted it for publication, due to concerns that the results were not applicable to the general population of offenders. Some researchers argued that the findings "do not necessarily apply to the large and diverse group of adults who have at some point downloaded child pornography, and whose behavior is far too variable to be captured by a single survey"..<ref name="nytimes">{{cite web |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/us/19sex.html |title=Debate on Child Pornography's Link To Molesting |publisher=New York Times |author=Julian Sher and Benedict Carey| date=2007-07-19 |accessdate=}}</ref> Child protection advocates and psychologists like Fred Berlin, who heads the National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma, expressed disapproval over the failure to publish the report.<ref name=nytimes/> A 1987 report by the USA ] described "a disturbing correlation" between traders of child pornography and acts of child molestation. <ref name=NCJRS/>


A 2007 study in Ireland, undertaken by the {{Lang|ga|]|italic=no}}, revealed the most serious content in a sample of over 100 cases involving indecent images of children. In 44% of cases, the most serious images depicted nudity or erotic posing, in 7% they depicted sexual activity between children, in 7% they depicted non-penetrative sexual activity between adults and children, in 37% they depicted penetrative sexual activity between adults and children, and in 5% they depicted sadism or bestiality.<ref name="O">{{cite book |last=Claire Milner |first=Ian O'Donnel |title=Child Pornography: Crime, computers and society |publisher=Willan Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-84392-357-2 |page=123}}</ref> A 2012 study reported that, in a sample of child pornography production arrest cases from 2009, 37% of the reviewed material was adult-produced and 39% was produced by minors with some involvement of an adult; the remaining items were produced by minors only.<ref name=":4" />
Dennis Howitt (1995) disagrees with such research, explaining the weakness of correlational studies. He argues that "one cannot simply take evidence that offenders use and buy pornography as sufficient to implicate pornography causally in their offending. The most reasonable assessment based on the available research literature is that the relationship between pornography, fantasy and offending is unclear."<ref>Howitt, Dennis (1995). "Paedophiles and Sexual Offences against Children," chapter 6. Loughborough University, UK; John Wiley & Sons.</ref>


=== Artificially generated or simulated imagery ===
According to the New York Times, "At least some men convicted of sexual abuse say that child pornography from the Internet fueled their urges. In a recent interview, one convicted pedophile serving a 14-year sentence in a Canadian federal prison said that looking at images online certainly gave him no release from his desires - exactly the opposite: 'Because there is no way I can look at a picture of a child on a video screen and not get turned on by that and want to do something about it.' he said." <ref name=nytimes/> According to the National District Attorneys Association, "In light of the documented link between individuals who view child pornography and individuals who actually molest children, each child pornography case should be viewed as a red flag to the possibility of actual child molestation." <ref name=NDAA>{{cite web |url=http://www.ndaa.org/publications/newsletters/child_sexual_exploitation_update_volume_1_number_3_2004.html
{{Main|Simulated child pornography}}
|title=From Fantasy to Reality: The Link Between Viewing Child Pornography and Molesting Children|accessdate=2008-05-03 |work=Child Sexual Exploitation Update - Volume 1, Number 3, 2004| }}</ref> The ] has noted that many offending pedophiles "acknowledge that exposure to child abuse images fuels their sexual fantasies and plays an important part in leading them to commit hands-on sexual offenses against children." <ref >{{cite journal|title=Child abuse, child pornography and the internet: Executive summary|first=John|last=Carr |year=2004 |publisher=NCH}}</ref>
Simulated child pornography produced without the direct involvement of children in the production process itself includes modified photographs of real children, non-minor teenagers made to look younger (age regression), fully ]ry,<ref>, '']'', 11 March 2008</ref> and adults made to look like children.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paul |first1=Bryant |last2=Linz |first2=Daniel G. |date=February 2008 |title=The Effects of Exposure to Virtual Child Pornography on Viewer Cognitions and Attitudes Toward Deviant Sexual Behavior |url=http://www.comm.ucsb.edu/documents/pubs/virtual_child_porno.pdf |journal=Communication Research |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=3–38 |doi=10.1177/0093650207309359 |s2cid=10679425 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528040600/http://www.comm.ucsb.edu/documents/pubs/virtual_child_porno.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |via=Department of Communication - University of California, Santa Barbara}}</ref>


=== Sexting and filming among minors ===
Others, such as Czech sex therapist Petr Weiss,<ref></ref> and Canadian ] Jeff Shaw,<ref></ref> believe that child pornography use may decrease cases of child sexual abuse by allowing pedophiles to sublimate their desires.
{{main|Sexting}}
Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images, primarily between mobile phones, of oneself to others (such as dating partners or friends). It may also include the use of a computer or any digital device.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Salter |first=Michael |year=2013 |title=Beyond Criminalisation and Responsibilitisim Sexting, Gender and Young People |journal=Sydney Law School |volume=24 |pages=310–315}}</ref> Such images may be passed along to others or posted on the Internet. In many jurisdictions, the ] is lower than the ], and a ] who is over the age of consent can legally have sex with a person of the same age. Many laws on child pornography were passed before ] became common among teenagers close in age to or over the age of consent and sexting was understood as a phenomenon. Teenagers who are legally able to consent to sex, but under the age of majority, can be charged with production and distribution of child pornography if they send naked images of themselves to friends or sex partners of the same age.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 December 2008 |title=Sexting teens can go too far - 12/14/08 - Philadelphia News - 6abc.com |url=https://6abc.com/archive/6555650/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131095242/http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news%2Ftechnology&id=6555650 |archive-date=31 January 2010 |access-date=16 October 2009 |publisher=Abclocal.go.com}}</ref><ref name="Wolak">{{cite journal |last1=Wolak |first1=Janis |last2=Finkelhor |first2=David |last3=Mitchell |first3=Kimberly |date=April 2012 |title=Trends in Arrests for Child Pornography Production: The Third National Juvenile Online Victimization Study (NJOV-3) |url=https://scholars.unh.edu/ccrc/47/ |journal=Crimes Against Children Research Center |location=Durham, NH}}</ref> The University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center estimates that 7 percent of people arrested on suspicion of child pornography production in 2009 were teenagers who shared images with peers consensually.<ref name="Wolak" /> Such arrests also include teenage couples or friends with a small ], where one is a legal adult and the other is not.<ref name="Feyerick">{{cite web |last1=Feyerick |first1=Deborah |last2=Steffen |first2=Sheila |title='Sexting' lands teen on sex offender list - CNN.com |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/07/sexting.busts/ |access-date=29 September 2016 |work=CNN's American Morning}}</ref><ref name="Brady">{{cite web |last=Brady |first=Nicole |date=23 July 2011 |title='Sexting' youths placed on sex offenders register |url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sexting-youths-placed-on-sex-offenders-register-20110723-1hugu.html |access-date=29 September 2016}}</ref> In some countries, ] requires anybody convicted of such an offense to be placed on a ].<ref name="Feyerick" /><ref name="Brady" />


{{Globalize section|date=November 2023|the United States}}
==Internet proliferation==
] notes that there is "overwhelming evidence that is all but impossible to obtain through nonelectronic means."<ref>Jenkins, Philip (2005). "Law Enforcement Efforts Against Child Pornography Are Ineffective," in ''At Issue: Child Sexual Abuse''. Ed. Angela Lewis. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.</ref> The Internet has radically changed how child pornography is reproduced and disseminated, and, according to the ], resulted in a massive increase in the "availability, accessibility, and volume of child pornography."<ref>, Child Exploitation and Obscenity, Department of Justice</ref> The production of child pornography has become very profitable and is no longer limited to pedophiles.<ref></ref>


Legal professionals and academics have criticized the use of child pornography laws with mandatory punishments against teenagers over the age of consent for sex offenses. Florida cyber crimes defense attorney David S. Seltzer wrote of this that "I do not believe that our child pornography laws were designed for these situations&nbsp;... A conviction for possession of child pornography in Florida draws up to five years in prison for each picture or video, plus a lifelong requirement to register as a sex offender."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201232859/http://www.cybercrimelawyerblog.com/2008/12/miami_criminal_defense_lawyer_1.html|date=1 February 2017}}, December 2008</ref>
Digital cameras and Internet distribution facilitated by the use of credit cards and the ease of transferring images across national borders has made it easier than ever before for users of child pornography to obtain the photographs and videos.<ref name=ncmec/><ref name=doj1/> The NCMEC estimated in 2003 that 20% of all pornography traded over the Internet was child pornography, and that since 1997 the number of child pornography images available on the Internet had increased by 1500%. <ref name=ncmec>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2064 |title=CHILD PORN AMONG FASTEST GROWING INTERNET BUSINESSES |date=2005-08-05 |accessdate=2008-03-13 |publisher=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, USA}}</ref>


In a 2013 interview, assistant professor of communications at the ], Amy Adele Hasinoff, who studies the repercussions of sexting has stated that the "very harsh" child pornography laws are "designed to address adults exploiting children" and should not replace better sex education and consent training for teens. She went on to say, "Sexting is a sex act, and if it's consensual, that's fine ... Anyone who distributes these pictures without consent is doing something malicious and abusive, but child pornography laws are too harsh to address it."<ref name="2013CaNPSelfiePorn">{{cite web |last=Seidman |first=Karen |title=Child pornography laws 'too harsh' to deal with minors sexting photos without consent, experts say |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/11/16/child-pornography-laws-too-harsh-to-deal-with-minors-sexting-photos-without-consent-experts-say/ |access-date=27 March 2014 |publisher=National Post News – Canada}}</ref>
In 2007, the British-based ] reported that child pornography on the Internet is becoming more brutal and graphic, and the number of images depicting violent abuse has risen fourfold since 2003. The CEO stated "The worrying issue is the severity and the gravity of the images is increasing. We're talking about prepubescent children being raped." About 80 percent of the children in the abusive images are female, and 91 percent appear to be children under the age of 12. Prosecution is difficult because multiple international servers are used, sometimes to transmit the images in fragments to evade the law.<ref name=IWF>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/16/international/i170148D42.DTL|title=IWF |accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=AP| }}</ref>


====Cybersex trafficking====
Regarding internet proliferation, the US DOJ states that "At any one time there are estimated to be more than one million pornographic images of children on the Internet, with 200 new images posted daily." They also note that a single offender arrested in the U.K. possessed 450,000 child pornography images, and that a single child pornography site received a million hits in a month. Further, that much of the trade in child pornography takes place at hidden levels of the Internet, and that it has been estimated that there are between 50,000 and 100,000 pedophiles involved in organized pornography rings around the world, and that one third of these operate from the United States.
{{Main|Cybersex trafficking}}


Child victims of cybersex trafficking are forced into ],<ref>{{citation |last1=Brown |first1=Rick |title=Australians who view live streaming of child sexual abuse: An analysis of financial transactions |year=2020 |publisher=Australian Institute of Criminology |isbn=9781925304336 |last2=Napier |first2=Sarah |last3=Smith |first3=Russell G}} pp. 1–4.</ref> pornographic exploitation<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carback |first1=Joshua T. |date=2018 |title=Cybersex Trafficking: Toward a More Effective Prosecutorial Response |journal=Criminal Law Bulletin |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=64–183 |ssrn=3171275}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=July 8, 2014 |title=Philippine children exploited in billion-dollar webcam paedophilia industry |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/philippine-children-exploited-in-billiondollar-webcam-paedophilia-industry-20140708-zszsd.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 13, 2019 |title=6 Iligan kids rescued from cybersex den |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1058765 |website=Philippine News Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=May 12, 2017 |title=Philippines Makes More Child Cybersex Crime Arrests, Rescues |url=https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/philippines-makes-more-child-cybersex-crime-arrests-rescues |website=VOA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=March 27, 2017 |title=First paedophile in NSW charged with cybersex trafficking |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/first-paedophile-in-nsw-charged-with-cybersex-trafficking/news-story/bd7d1e178b1f6f55ad99f8d0433afa94 |website=the Daily Telegraph}}</ref> on webcam which can be recorded and later sold.<ref>{{cite web |date=2015 |title=Study on the Effects of New Information Technologies on the Abuse and Exploitation of Children |url=https://www.unodc.org/documents/Cybercrime/Study_on_the_Effects.pdf |website=UNODC}}</ref> Victims are raped by traffickers or coerced to perform sex acts on themselves or other children while being filmed and broadcast in real time. They are frequently forced to watch the paying consumers on shared screens and follow their orders.<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite web |date=July 18, 2013 |title=Cyber-sex trafficking: A 21st century scourge |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/philippines-cybersex-trafficking/index.html |website=CNN}}</ref> It occurs in 'cybersex dens', which are rooms equipped with ].<ref>{{cite web |date=June 8, 2016 |title=International Efforts by Police Leadership to Combat Human Trafficking |url=https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/international-efforts-by-police-leadership-to-combat-human-trafficking |website=FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin}}</ref><ref name="cnn.com" /> Overseas predators and pedophiles seek out and pay to watch the victims.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 6, 2019 |title=Philippines targets cybersex trafficking but young victims are often left in limbo |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008948/philippines-targets-cybersex-trafficking-young-victims-are |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 30, 2018 |title=Cheap tech and widespread internet access fuel rise in cybersex trafficking |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/cheap-tech-widespread-internet-access-fuel-rise-cybersex-trafficking-n886886 |website=NBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 1, 2016 |title=Surge in online sex trade of children challenges anti-slavery campaigners |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-conference-women-cybersextrafficking/surge-in-online-sex-trade-of-children-challenges-anti-slavery-campaigners-idUSKBN13Q54E |website=Reuters}}</ref>
In 2008 the ] ] adapted a ] program in order to faster track child pornography accessible through their site. The software is based in a ] engine.<ref></ref>


==Distribution and receipt==
==Collection by pedophiles==
] notes that there is "overwhelming evidence that is all but impossible to obtain through nonelectronic means."<ref>{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Philip |title=At Issue: Child Sexual Abuse |date=2005 |publisher=Greenhaven Press |isbn=978-1565106888 |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=Angela |location=San Diego, California |chapter=Law Enforcement Efforts Against Child Pornography Are Ineffective}}</ref> The Internet has radically changed how child pornography is reproduced and disseminated, and, according to the ], resulted in a massive increase in the "availability, accessibility, and volume of child pornography."<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306150623/http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/childporn.html|date=6 March 2008}}, Child Exploitation and Obscenity, Department of Justice</ref>
Viewers of child pornography who are pedophiles are particularly obsessive about collecting, organizing, categorizing, and labeling their child pornography collection according to age, gender, sex act and fantasy.<ref name=CrossonTower200>{{cite book|title=UNDERSTANDING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT |first=Cynthia |last=Crosson-Tower |isbn=020540183X |publisher=Allyn & Bacon |year=2005|pages=198-200}}</ref><ref name= Lanning/> According to FBI agent Ken Lanning, "Collecting" pornography does not mean that they merely view pornography, but that they save it, and "it comes to define, fuel, and validate their most cherished sexual fantasies." An extensive collection indicates a strong sexual preference for children, and if a collector of child pornography is also a pedophile, the owned collection is the single best indicator of what he wants to do. <ref name= Lanning>{{cite journal|title=Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis 4th ed.|first=Kenneth V. |last=Lanning |year=2001 |publisher=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children|volume=86}}</ref> The ] describes researchers Taylor and Quayle's analysis of pedophile pornography collecting:


Digital cameras and Internet distribution facilitated by the use of credit cards and the ease of transferring images across national borders has made it easier than ever before for users of child pornography to obtain the photographs and videos.<ref name="doj1" /><ref name="ncmec">{{cite web |date=5 August 2005 |title=Child porn among fastest growing internet businesses |url=http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2064 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018231331/http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2064 |archive-date=18 October 2007 |access-date=13 March 2008 |publisher=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, USA |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
<blockquote>"The obsessive nature of the collecting and the narrative or thematic links for collections, led to the building of social communities on the internet dedicated to extending these collections. Through these 'virtual communities' collectors are able to downgrade the content and abusive nature of the collections, see the children involved as objects rather than people, and their own behaviour as normal: It is an expression of 'love' for children rather than abuse." <ref name= NSPCC>{{cite web|title=Child pornography: images of the abuse of children|year=2003 |url=http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Briefings/imagesofchildabuse_wda48219.html|publisher=National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children}}</ref>
</blockquote>


In 2019, the ] reported that child pornography was now a crisis. Tech companies such as ], ] and ] reported over 18&nbsp;million cases of child sexual abuse material, which includes over 45 million images and videos.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Keller |first1=Michael H. |last2=Dance |first2=Gabriel J. X. |date=2019-09-28 |title=The Internet Is Overrun With Images of Child Sexual Abuse. What Went Wrong? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/28/us/child-sex-abuse.html |access-date=2020-05-22 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
These offenders are likely to employ elaborate security measures to avoid detection.<ref name=CrossonTower200/> The US DOJ notes that "There is a core of veteran offenders, some of whom have been active in pedophile newsgroups for more than 20 years, who possess high levels of technological expertise.", also noting that pedophile bulletin boards often contain technical advice from child pornography users' old hands to newcomers."<ref name= Lanning/>


In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, an increase of 12% from 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CyberTipline Data |url=https://www.missingkids.org/cybertiplinedata |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=National Center for Missing & Exploited Children |language=en}}</ref>
==International perspectives==
The ] ("UNCRC"), which has been ratified by an overwhelming majority of the nations of the world, identifies child pornography as a violation against children and requires that nations who are parties to the convention take measures to prevent the exploitative use of children in pornographic materials. <ref name="healty"></ref> Where child pornography involves depictions of children engaging in sexual conduct, the production of this material is prohibited legally in UN member countries.<ref name= Bantekas>{{cite book|title=International Criminal Law 2/E |first=Ilias |last=Bantekas |coauthors=Susan Nash |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge Cavendish |pages=p91|isbn=1859417760}}</ref>


== Offender characteristics ==
===Relation to sex tourism===
Child pornography offenders are predominantly white, male, aged between 25 and 50 years and, in relation to "hands on" child sex abusers, more likely to be employed. On multiple studies, they have been reported to have higher education at a rate of 30%. Research has also shown that around 50% of child pornography offenders were single either at the time of their offences or after they were prosecuted.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Houtepen |first1=Jenny A.B.M. |last2=Sijtsema |first2=Jelle J. |last3=Bogaerts |first3=Stefan |date=2014 |title=From child pornography offending to child sexual abuse: A review of child pornography offender characteristics and risks for cross-over |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1359178914000810 |journal=Aggression and Violent Behavior |language=en |volume=19 |issue=5 |pages=466–473 |doi=10.1016/j.avb.2014.07.011}}</ref> Child pornography offenders are also less likely to be parents compared to ''contact'' offenders. Scholars have also found that while "hands-on" offenders are relatively likely to transition into pornography offenders (with some admitting to using child pornography as a substitute for committing ''contact'' offenses), the opposite is rarely the case.<ref name=":7" />
One source of child pornography distributed worldwide is that created by sex tourists. Most of the victims of ] reside in the ] of the world. In 1996, a court in ] convicted a ] national of child molestation and production of pornography for commercial purposes; he was involved in a child pornography ring which exploited Thai children. A sizable portion of the pornography seized in ] and in the ] in the 1990s was produced by sex tourists visiting ].<ref name=healty/> ] works with its 186 member countries to combat the problem, and launched its first-ever successful global appeal for assistance in 2007 to identify a ] man, ], featured in a series of around 200 photographs in which he was shown sexually abusing young Vietnamese and Cambodian children.<ref name=Interpol>{{cite web |url=http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2007/PR200751.asp |title=Interpol |accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=press release| }}</ref>


In a study conducted by ] in 2010, 33–50% of a sample of child pornography offenders reported having sexual interest in children. Another 2009 study diagnosed 31% of its sample of online child sex offenders with pedophilia. Aside from a predominant sexual interest in children, other reasons for online child pornography offending include indiscriminate sexual interest, ] and accidental access to child pornography material.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Ly |first1=Thanh |last2=Dwyer |first2=R. Gregg |last3=Fedoroff |first3=J. Paul |date=March 2018 |title=Characteristics and treatment of internet child pornography offenders |journal=Behavioral Sciences & the Law |language=en |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=216–234 |doi=10.1002/bsl.2340 |pmid=29659072 |issn=0735-3936|doi-access=free }}</ref> Having a history of child pornography offending has been stated by some researchers to be a valid diagnostic indicator of ].<ref name=":8" />
===Organized crime===
Organized crime is involved in the production and distribution of child pornography, which is found as a common element of organized crime profiles. <ref name=NCJRS/><ref>{{cite web|title=RCMP Fact Sheets: Organized Crime|url=http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/factsheets/fact_org_e.htm |publisher=Royal Canadian Mounted Police |date=2008-04-28}}</ref> When criminals organize to produce and distribute child pornography, they are often called "sex rings." <ref>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E7D9143FF93AA3575BC0A9679C8B63&scp=4&sq=child+pornography+ring&st=nyt|title=U.S. SAYS IT BROKE RING THAT PEDDLED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E1DC1530F934A35756C0A9639C8B63&scp=6&sq=child+pornography+ring&st=nyt|title=World Briefing Europe: Child Pornography Raid In 8 Countries|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E04EEDA1539F933A25756C0A960958260&scp=7&sq=child+pornography+ring&st=nyt|title=45 Arrested in a Nationwide Child Pornography Ring, U.S. Says|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E3DD1E39F937A25750C0A961958260&scp=11&sq=child+pornography+ring&st=nyt|title=French Police Arrest 250 Men Linked to Child Pornography Ring|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1109787.stm|title=Porn ring 'was real child abuse'|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=BBC| }}</ref> In 2003, an international police investigation uncovered an immense Germany-based child pornography ring involving 26,500 suspects who swapped illegal images on the Internet in 166 different countries. <ref name=Germany>{{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E0D6123DF934A1575AC0A9659C8B63&scp=2&sq=child+pornography+ring&st=nyt
|title=Germany Says It Uncovered Huge Child Pornography Ring|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref>In a 2006 case, US and international authorities charged 27 people in nine states and three countries in connection with a child pornography ring that US federal authorities described as "one of the worst" they have discovered. The assistant secretary for ] added that the case reflected three larger trends that are becoming more common in child pornography rings. One is the increasing prevalence of "home-grown" pornographic images that are produced by predators themselves, and include live ] images of children being abused, not just the circulation of repeated images. Another trend is the growing use of sophisticated security measures and of ], in which participants can share files with one another on their computers rather than downloading them off a web site. The group used ] and data destruction software to protect the files and screening measures to ensure only authorized participants could enter the chat room. A third trend is the increasingly violent and graphic nature of the images involving the abuse of younger children. <ref name=Chicago>{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/national/16porn.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=child+pornography+ring&st=nyt&oref=slogin
|title=27 Charged in International Online Child Pornography Ring|accessdate=2008-05-01 |work=New York Times| }}</ref>


A meta-analysis of nine studies conducted by Seto in 2011 reported a sexual recidivism rate of 5% for follow-up periods ranging from one to six years. Another paper published by Seto in 2015 reported a sexual ] of 11% in a 5-year follow-up period. Research has also shown that offenders that measure high on ] and atypical sexual interests are most likely to sexually reoffend.<ref name=":3" /> Other studies have also reported rates of recidivism for child pornography offenders that are inferior to those of ''contact'' child sex offenders. People who have committed both pornography and contact offences have a higher recidivism rate for contact offences than child pornography offenders.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last1=Babchishin |first1=Kelly M. |last2=Hanson |first2=R. Karl |last3=VanZuylen |first3=Heather |date=2015 |title=Online Child Pornography Offenders are Different: A Meta-analysis of the Characteristics of Online and Offline Sex Offenders Against Children |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10508-014-0270-x |journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior |language=en |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=45–66 |doi=10.1007/s10508-014-0270-x |pmid=24627189 |s2cid=254251866 |issn=0004-0002}}</ref>
According to ], CEO of the ], around 50 per cent of sites showing children being abused are operated on a pay-per-view basis. "The people involved in these sites often aren't doing it because they're deviant by nature. They're doing it because they're business people. It's risk versus profits. We need to reduce the profit motivation." The CEOPP was established in 2006, and targets the finances of organised criminal gangs selling images of child abuse. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/nov/13/childprotection.ukcrime|title=Task force to seize child porn profits|accessdate=2008-05-03 |work=guardian.co.uk| }}</ref>


==Relation to child molestation==
===International coordination of law enforcement===
{{Main|Relationship between child pornography and child sexual abuse}}
One of the primary mandates of the international policing organization ] is the prevention of crimes against children involving the crossing of international borders, including child pornography and all other forms of exploitation and trafficking of children.<ref name=interpol1>{{cite web|url=http://www.interpol.int/Public/Children/Default.asp |title=Crimes against children| publisher=Interpol}}
</ref><ref name= Bantekas266>{{cite book|title=International Criminal Law 2/E |first=Ilias |last=Bantekas |coauthors=Susan Nash |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge Cavendish |pages=p265|isbn=1859417760}}</ref>


Experts differ over any causal link between child pornography and child sexual abuse, with some experts saying that it increases the risk of child sexual abuse,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Carr |first=John |year=2004 |title=Child abuse, child pornography and the internet: Executive summary |journal=NCH |issue=1}}</ref> and others saying that use of child pornography reduces the risk of offending.<ref name="radio.cz">{{cite web|url=http://www.radio.cz/en/article/88189 |title=Child porn consumers safe from prosecution in the Czech Republic |date=9 February 2007 |publisher=Radio.cz |access-date=16 October 2009}}</ref><ref>]. Pacific Center for Sex and Society", University of Hawai’i, 4 October 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2014.</ref> A 2008 American review of the use of Internet communication to lure children outlines the possible links to actual behaviour regarding the effects of Internet child pornography.<ref name=Onlinepred>{{cite journal |last1=Wolak |first1=Janis |last2=Finkelhor |first2=David |last3=Mitchell |first3=Kimberly J. |last4=Ybarra |first4=Michele L. |title=Online 'predators' and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment |journal=American Psychologist |date=2008 |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=111–128 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.63.2.111 |pmid=18284279 |citeseerx=10.1.1.362.8143 }}</ref>
The USA ] coordinates programs to track and prosecute child pornography offenders across all jurisdictions, from local police departments to federal investigations, and international cooperation with other governments.<ref name=doj1>{{cite journal | author = Wells, M.; Finkelhor, D.; Wolak, J.; Mitchell, K. | year = 2007 | title = Defining Child Pornography: Law Enforcement Dilemmas in Investigations of Internet Child Pornography Possession | journal = Police Practice and Research | volume = 8 | issue = 3 | pages = 269-282
| url =http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV96.pdf | accessdate = 2008-07-01 |doi=10.1080/15614260701450765}}</ref> Efforts by the Department to combat child pornography includes the ], the world's largest database of child pornography, maintained by the ] of the ] and the ] (NCMEC) for the purpose of identifying victims of child abuse.<ref name="houston">'']'', "". ] ]</ref><ref>'']'', "", ] ]</ref> Police agencies have deployed trained staff to track child pornography files and the computers used to share them as they are distributed on the Internet, and they freely share identifying information for the computers and users internationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comments.byethost4.com/chprn.html |title=Police methods for illegal pornography investigation |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-05-09}}</ref>


According to one paper from the ] based on case reports of those under treatment, 30% to 80% of individuals who viewed child pornography and 76% of individuals who were arrested for Internet child pornography had molested a child. As the total number of those who view such images can not be ascertained, the ratio of passive viewing to molestation remains unknown. The report also notes that it is difficult to define the progression from computerized child pornography to physical acts against children.<ref name="mayoclinic04_2007">{{cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Ryan C.W. |last2=Hall |first2=Richard C.W. |date=April 2007 |title=A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism, Treatment Outcomes, and Forensic Issues |url=http://drryanhall.com/Articles/pedophiles.pdf |journal=Mayo Clinic Proceedings |volume=82 |issue=4 |pages=457–471 |doi=10.4065/82.4.457 |pmid=17418075 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054951/http://drryanhall.com/Articles/pedophiles.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2017 |via=Dr. Ryan Hall}}</ref> Several professors of psychology state that memories of child abuse are maintained as long as visual records exist, are accessed, and are "exploited perversely."<ref name="Wortley17">{{cite journal |last=Wortley |first=Richard |author2=Stephen Smallbone |title=Child Pornography on the Internet |journal=Problem-Oriented Guides for Police |volume=41 |page=17 |quote=The children portrayed in child pornography are first victimized when their abuse is perpetrated and recorded. They are further victimized each time that record is accessed.}}</ref><ref name="sheldon9">{{cite book |last=Sheldon |first=Kerry |url=https://archive.org/details/sexoffendersinte0000shel |title=Sex Offenders and the Internet |author2=Dennis Howitt |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-470-02800-1 |page=9 |quote=...supplying the material to meet this demand results in the further abuse of children Pictures, films and videos function as a permanent record of the original sexual abuse. Consequently, memories of the trauma and abuse are maintained as long as the record exists. Victims filmed and photographed many years ago will nevertheless be aware throughout their lifetimes that their childhood victimization continues to be exploited perversely. |url-access=registration}}</ref>
When child pornography is distributed across international borders, customs agencies also participate in investigations and enforcement, such as in the 2001-2002 cooperative effort between the United States ] and local operational law enforcement agencies in Russia. A search warrant issued in the USA by the Customs Service resulted in seizing of computers and email records by the Russian authorities, and arrests of the pornographers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Transnational crime: The case of Russian organized crime and the role of international cooperation in law enforcement |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3996/is_200201/ai_n9061972/print |publisher=Demokratizatsiya |date=Winter 2002 |author=Shelley, Louise}}</ref>


A study by Wolak, ], and Mitchell states that:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wolak |first1=Janis |last2=Finkelhor |first2=David |last3=Mitchell |first3=Kimberly |title=Child Pornography Possessors: Trends in Offender and Case Characteristics |journal=Sexual Abuse |date=March 2011 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=22–42 |doi=10.1177/1079063210372143 |pmid=21349830 |s2cid=14088692 }}</ref><blockquote>ates of child sexual abuse have declined substantially since the mid-1990s, a time period that corresponds to the spread of CP online. ... The fact that this trend is revealed in multiple sources tends to undermine arguments that it is because of reduced reporting or changes in investigatory or statistical procedures. ... o date, there has not been a spike in the rate of child sexual abuse that corresponds with the apparent expansion of online CP.</blockquote>
In spite of international cooperation, less than 1 percent of children who appear in child pornography are located and rescued by law enforcement each year, according to Interpol statistics.<ref name=Clues>{{cite web |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=3665900&page=1|title=Clues Caught on Tape Key to Child Porn Cases|accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=Abcnews| }}</ref>


== Ethics ==
The study of the ethics regarding child pornography has been greatly neglected among academics.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last=Bray |first=Abigail |date=2011 |title=Merciless Doctrines: Child Pornography, Censorship, and Late Capitalism |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/660178 |journal=Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society |language=en |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=133–158 |doi=10.1086/660178 |s2cid=146765015 |issn=0097-9740}}</ref> Feminist writer ] has argued that the absence of ethical literature regarding the topic can be explained by the simplicity of the matter, given that "there a general consensus about the harm involved" in this type of material.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=King |first=Peter J. |date=2008 |title=No Plaything: Ethical Issues Concerning Child-pornography |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10677-007-9095-1 |journal=Ethical Theory and Moral Practice |language=en |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=327–345 |doi=10.1007/s10677-007-9095-1 |issn=1386-2820}}</ref>


Some scholars have argued that the possession of child pornography is immoral because it would validate the act of child sexual abuse or actively encourage people to engage in child molestation. In a 1984 study involving 51 child sexual abusers, 67% of the sample reported making use of "hardcore sexual stimuli". However, the study failed to prove that there was a ] between such type of pornography usage and child sexual abuse.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} Other similar studies have also found a correlation between child molestation and usage of extreme erotic materials, but they did not limit the definition of "pornography" or "hardcore sexual stimuli" to child pornography.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last=Ost |first=Suzanne |date=2002 |title=Children at Risk: Legal and Societal Perceptions of the Potential Threat that the Possession of Child Pornography Poses to Society |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-6478.00227 |journal=Journal of Law and Society |language=en |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=436–460 |doi=10.1111/1467-6478.00227 |issn=0263-323X}}</ref>


Some judges have argued that child pornography usage fuels a marketplace of child sexual abuse material, thus creating a financial incentive for its production. Such stance could be challenged by ]'s contention that there is no evidence of a commercially profitable market of child pornography. However, the argument could still be held true if it is proven that those who produce child pornography do so not because of a potential financial benefit, but because they expect others to view the material that they produce.<ref name=":10" />
==Legal status==
{{Expand-section|date=April 2008}}


] stated in 1990 that, in light of the new 20th century laws regarding child pornography, the very act of speaking of child pornography has intensified its erotic effect, leading to an "eroticization of prohibition".<ref name=":9" /> Another idea relating to the ethics of child pornography states that allowing such materials would lead to children being seen as sexual objects, thus potentially leading adults to commit child sexual abuse.<ref name=":10" />
===Canada===
] law forbids the production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. Prohibition covers the visual representations of ] by persons (real or imaginary) under the age of 18 years (although prosecutions in cases where all involved are over the age of 16 are rare){{Fact|date=July 2008}} and the depiction of their ]/anal region for a sexual purpose, unless an ]istic, educational, scientific, or medical justification can be provided. It also includes the written depictions of persons or characters (fictional or non-fictional) under the age of 18 engaging in sexual activity.<ref></ref> Courts in Canada can also issue orders for the deletion of material from the internet from any computer system within the court's jurisdiction<ref> {{cite web |title=BILL C-15A: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL CODE AND TO AMEND OTHER ACTS |url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/LS/371/371c15a-e.htm#4.%A0%20Court-Ordered |accessdate=2008-05-09 |author= Government of Canada}}</ref>


=== The Gamer's Dilemma ===
One early application of this law was the ] case. In 1993, this Toronto artist had an exhibition at the Mercer Gallery. His drawings included images of children in sexual positions. Police raided the gallery and confiscated the works. Langer was eventually acquitted after a trial because his work was considered "artistic" enough to be protected speech.
The Gamer's Dilemma, conceptualized by researcher Morgan Luck in a 2009 essay, is a moral challenge that contrasts the societal acceptance of acts of virtual murder in videogames and the simultaneous condemnation of virtual acts of child molestation in virtual environments (including in computer-generated child pornography). According to Luck, there is no sound justification for making a distinction between the two actions, and the arguments against virtual acts of child sexual abuse are also valid for virtual acts of murder.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Patridge |first=Stephanie L. |date=2013 |title=Pornography, ethics, and video games |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10676-012-9310-1 |journal=Ethics and Information Technology |language=en |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=25–34 |doi=10.1007/s10676-012-9310-1 |issn=1388-1957}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Coghlan |first1=Thomas |last2=Cox |first2=Damian |date=2023 |title=Between death and suffering: resolving the gamer's dilemma |journal=Ethics and Information Technology |language=en |volume=25 |issue=3 |doi=10.1007/s10676-023-09711-z |issn=1388-1957|doi-access=free }}</ref>


Ethicists have devised two main types of answers to the Gamer's Dilemma:<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal |last1=Montefiore |first1=Thomas |last2=Formosa |first2=Paul |date=2022 |title=Resisting the Gamer's Dilemma |journal=Ethics and Information Technology |language=en |volume=24 |issue=3 |doi=10.1007/s10676-022-09655-w |issn=1388-1957|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Law that addresses ''dynamic'' aspects of the Internet by regulating the nature of live-time chatting and email communications that may relate to enticing children for pornographic (e.g., web cam) or other sexual purposes has passed in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Government of Canada |url=http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2002/doc_30529.html |title=STRONGER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY LAWS RECEIVE ROYAL ASSENT |date=2002-06-10 |accessdate=2008-02-04}}</ref> It also criminalizes the intentional access of child pornography.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=The Parliament of Canada |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Bills_ls.asp?Parl=37&Ses=1&ls=C15A |title=BILL C-15A: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL CODE AND TO AMEND OTHER ACTS |date=2002-09-30 |accessdate=2008-02-04}}</ref>


* The first type attempts to solve the challenge by highlighting the moral differences between virtual acts of child sexual abuse and murder, thus concluding that virtual acts of child molestation are often immoral, while simulated acts of murder often aren't.<ref name=":11" />
===The Philippines===
* The second attempts to undermine Luck's challenge by either denying that virtual acts of murder are morally permissible, or that virtual acts of child molestation are morally impermissible.<ref name=":11" />
On ], ], the Children and Youth Secretariat of the Anti-Child Pornography Alliance (ACPA-Pilipinas) in the ] launched Batingaw Network "to protect and save children from all forms of abuses and exploitations." It is the largest anti-child pornography movement in the Philippines to date. It declared ] as the "''National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography.''<ref></ref>


A study published in 2023 suggested that most of its participants reacted negatively both to depictions of virtual murder and sexual abuse, with sexual abuse triggering significantly more negative reactions than murder.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Formosa |first1=Paul |last2=Montefiore |first2=Thomas |last3=Ghasemi |first3=Omid |last4=McEwan |first4=Mitchell |date=2024-02-17 |title=An empirical investigation of the Gamer's Dilemma: a mixed methods study of whether the dilemma exists |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2178837 |journal=Behaviour & Information Technology |language=en |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=571–589 |doi=10.1080/0144929X.2023.2178837 |s2cid=256884728 |issn=0144-929X}}</ref>
===United Kingdom===
In the ], it is illegal to take, make, distribute, show or possess an indecent image of a child. Accessing an indecent image is considered to be "making" the image, meaning that a defendant can be charged under the ] if he accessed an image without saving it.<ref>Internet Watch Foundation - R v Bowden http://www.iwf.org.uk/police/page.99.209.htm</ref> Indecency is to be interpreted by a jury, who should apply the recognised standards of propriety. A child is a person who has not reached the age of 18.


== Laws ==
'''Virtual child pornography'''
{{Main|Legality of child pornography}}


===International coordination of law enforcement===
An image which appears to be a photograph of a child, which is not a photograph, is referred to as a "]". It is also illegal to take, make, distribute, show or possess an indecent pseudo-photograph of a child.


One of the primary mandates of the international policing organization ] is the prevention of crimes against children involving the crossing of international borders, including child pornography and all other forms of exploitation and trafficking of children.<ref name=interpol1>{{cite web |url=http://www.interpol.int/Public/Children/Default.asp |title=Crimes against children |publisher=Interpol |access-date=1 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514155812/https://www.interpol.int/Public/Children/Default.asp |archive-date=14 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name= Bantekas266>{{cite book|title=International Criminal Law 2/E |first=Ilias |last=Bantekas |author2=Susan Nash |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge Cavendish |page=265|isbn=978-1-85941-776-8}}</ref>
In May 2008, Maria Eagle announced that all visual depictions of children, including drawings and cartoons, will be criminalised. <ref>New proposals will make all obscene images of children illegal http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease280508a.htm</ref> According to the Ministry of Justice, the reason for the move is to prevent pedophiles converting real images into cartoons and drawings.<ref>New proposals will make all obscene images of children illegal http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease280508a.htm</ref>, however all images which fall into that category became illegal earlier in 2008, under the ]<ref>Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (c. 4) http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080004_en_9#pt5-pb1-l1g69</ref>. Shaun Kelly, speaking on behalf of children's charity ], argued that "this is a welcome announcement which makes a clear statement that drawings or computer-generated images of child abuse are as unacceptable as a photograph". Others argued that the intended law would limit artistic expression, patrol peoples' imaginations, and that it is safer for pedophiles' fantasies "to be enacted in their computers or imaginations than in reality". <ref>This loophole is real. But the remedy is really perverse http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/31/justice.ukcrime</ref>


===National and international law===
===United States===
{{Update|part=section|date=November 2023}}
In the ], child pornography is illegal under ] and in all states. Although child pornography may be obscenity, a legal term that refers to offensive or violent forms of pornography that have been declared by decisions by the US Supreme Court to be outside the protection of the ] regarding free speech,<ref name=NCJRS>{{cite web|title=Remarks of Arnold I Burns Before the Florida Law Enforcement Committee on Obscenity, Organized Crime and Child Pornography |url=http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=109133 |publisher=National Institute of Justice |work=NCJ 109133 |date=1987-12-03}}</ref> it is defined differently from obscenity. Federal sentencing guidelines regarding child pornography differentiate between production, distribution and purchasing/receiving, and also include variations in severity based on the age of the child involved in the materials, with significant increases in penalties when the offense involves a prepubescent child or a child under the age of 12.<ref name=Sentencing9>{{cite journal |url=http://www.ussc.gov/r_congress/SCAC.HTM |title= Sex Offenses Against Children: Findings and Recommendations Regarding Federal Penalties (as directed in the Sex Crimes Against Children Prevention Act of 1995, Section 6, Public Law 104-71) |publisher=United States Sentencing Commission |pages=p9|date=June 1996}}</ref> In May 2008, the ] upheld the 2003 federal law Section 2252A(a)(3)(B) of Title 18, ] that ] the ] and ] of child pornography, in a 7-to-2 ruling penned by ]. The court ruling dismissed the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit's finding the law unconstitutionally vague.<ref></ref><ref></ref> It has been stated that the Supreme Court’s decision has been criticized, yet it correctly enables legal personnel to fight crime networks where child pornography is made and sold.<ref name=Marshon/> Child pornography is illegal and it does not have to be looked at in terms of the typical guidelines of the ], because it is illegal due to the harm it creates to children when child pornography is made, sold and owned.<ref name=Marshon>{{cite news | last =Marshon | first =J. R. | title =Virtual Child Porn and Child Exploitation | publisher =childlaw.us | date =2008-07-11 | url =http://www.childlaw.us/2008/07/why-offering-virtual-child-por.html | accessdate =2008-07-13}}</ref> The demand for more and newer child pornography is believed by most to promote the sexual abuse of children.<ref name=Marshon/>
Child pornography laws provide severe penalties for producers and distributors in almost all societies, usually including incarceration, with shorter duration of sentences for non-commercial distribution depending on the extent and content of the material distributed. Convictions for possessing child pornography also usually include prison sentences, but those sentences are often converted to probation for first-time offenders.<ref name="Akdeniz11" />


In 2006, the ] (ICMEC) published a report of findings on the presence of child pornography legislation in the then-184 ] member countries. It later updated this information, in subsequent editions, to include 196 UN member countries.<ref name="icmec.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.icmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_X1&PageId=4346 |title=Child Pornography: Model Legislation & Global Review |publisher=ICMEC |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415101647/http://www.icmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_X1&PageId=4346 |archive-date=15 April 2015 }}</ref><ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VPhAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA63|title=Litigating Transnational Human Rights Obligations: Alternative Judgments|publisher=Routledge |author1=Mark Gibney |author2=Wouter Vandenhole |page=63 |year=2013|isbn=978-1135121051}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_AF0rzXS9AC&pg=PA20|title=Parents Guide to the Internet|author=Jay LaBonte|publisher=Lulu|pages=20–21|year= 2007|isbn=978-1430307693}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kI51wV4ticIC&pg=PA136|title=Handbook of Digital and Multimedia Forensic Evidence|author=John J. Barbara|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|page=78|year= 2007|isbn= 978-1597455770}}</ref> The report, entitled "Child Pornography: Model Legislation & Global Review", assesses whether national legislation: <blockquote>(1) exists with specific regard to child pornography; (2) provides a definition of child pornography; (3) expressly criminalizes computer-facilitated offenses; (4) criminalizes the knowing possession of child pornography, regardless of intent to distribute; and (5) requires ]s to report suspected child pornography to law enforcement or to some other mandated agency.<ref name="books.google.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=08SANTODOMINGO1028|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141130085253/http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=08SANTODOMINGO1028|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 November 2014|title=Icmec Explores Areas of Cooperation With Godr to Combat Child Sexual Exploitation|date=June 25, 2008|author=Embassy Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)|access-date=27 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mx30syIntCYC&pg=PA278|title=Internet Child Pornography and the Law: National and International Responses|author= Yaman Akdeniz|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|pages=106, 275, 278, 293|year=2013|isbn=978-1409496076}}</ref></blockquote>
The ], a comprehensive bill related to many aspects of child aubse, prohibits all illustrations depicting child pornography, including computer-generated illustrations, also known as virtual child pornography.<ref name=DOJfactsheet>{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/April/03_ag_266.htm |title=Fact Sheet PROTECT Act |publisher=Department of Justice|date=APRIL 30, 2003}}</ref><ref name=fulltext>{{cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:6:./temp/~c108KVFuDf:: |title=Full Text of S.151 - PROTECT Act (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)|publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref name=govtracksummary>{{cite web|title=Track.us. S. 151--108th Congress (2003): Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 |publisher=GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s108-151&tab=summary|accessdate=2008-09-01}}</ref> Provisions against virtual child pornography in the ] had been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002. However, the computer-generated child pornography provisions of the Protect Act are distinct, since they establish the requirement of showing ] as defined by the ], which was not an element of the 1996 law. One section of the PROTECT act has been challenged and was upheld by Supreme Court decision in May 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/06-694.pdf|accessdate=2008-05-19|format=PDF|title=Decision in US v. Williams}}</ref>


ICMEC stated that it found in its initial report that only 27 countries had legislation needed to deal with child pornography offenses, while 95 countries did not have any legislation that specifically addressed child pornography, making child pornography a global issue worsened by the inadequacies of domestic legislation.<ref>, ICMEC. April 2010.</ref> The 7th Edition Report found that still only 69 countries had legislation needed to deal with child pornography offenses, while 53 did not have any legislation specifically addressing the problem.<ref name="icmec.org"/> Over seven years of research from 2006 to 2012, ICMEC and its Koons Family Institute on International Law and Policy report that they have worked with 100 countries that have revised or put in place new child pornography laws.<ref name=critical>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ozqAwAAQBAJ&q=icmec+hague&pg=PA82|title=The Hague Child Abduction Convention: A Critical Analysis|isbn=978-1782253082|author=Rhona Schuz|publisher=A&C Black|pages=82–83 |date=2014}}</ref><ref name=plan>Permanent Bureau (February 2004), , Hague Conference on Private International Law, Preliminary Document # 14, p. 6</ref><ref name=train>{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com/2012/icmec-to-train-officers-in-bangkok-september-18-21/|title=ICMEC to Train Officers in Bangkok September 18–21|date=5 September 2012|publisher=Virtual Global Taskforce|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312134551/http://www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com/2012/icmec-to-train-officers-in-bangkok-september-18-21/|archive-date=12 March 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>The Koons Family Institute on International Law and Policy (2012) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608012528/http://polis.osce.org/library/f/4060/3771/GOV-USA-RPT-4060-EN-3771 |date=8 June 2015 }}, 7th Edition</ref>
===Australia===
People have been successfully prosecuted after describing acts of abuse via SMS.
<ref name=AFP>{{cite news |url=http://www.afp.gov.au/media_releases/national/2007/queensland_man_charged_over_sms_child_pornography.html
|title=Queensland man charged over SMS child pornography |date= 2007-07-17 |author=AFP}}</ref>


A 2008 review of child pornography laws in 187 countries by the ] (ICMEC) showed that 93 had no laws that specifically addressed child pornography. Of the 94 that did, 36 did not criminalize possession of child pornography regardless of intent to distribute.<ref>{{cite press release |title=New Study Reveals Child Pornography Not a Crime In Most Countries |publisher=International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children |date= |url=https://www.icmec.org/press/new-study-reveals-child-pornography-not-a-crime-in-most-countries/ |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710061715/https://www.icmec.org/press/new-study-reveals-child-pornography-not-a-crime-in-most-countries/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> This review, however, did not count legislation outlawing ''all'' pornography as being "specific" to child pornography. It also did not count bans on "the worst forms of child labor".<ref name="ICMEC CSAM 2018"/> Some societies such as Canada and Australia have laws banning cartoon, manga, or written child pornography and others require ISPs (]) to monitor internet traffic to detect it.<ref name=AFP>{{cite news
===Elsewhere===
|url=http://www.afp.gov.au/media_releases/national/2007/queensland_man_charged_over_sms_child_pornography.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918170717/http://www.afp.gov.au/media_releases/national/2007/queensland_man_charged_over_sms_child_pornography.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=18 September 2007
|title=Queensland man charged over SMS child pornography
|date=17 July 2007
|author=AFP
}}</ref><ref> (4 March 2005, ]). Retrieved 23 June 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2009/ra_9775_2009.html|title=REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9775}}</ref>


The United Nations ] requires parties to outlaw the "producing, distributing, disseminating, importing, exporting, offering, selling or possessing for the above purposes" of child pornography.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-54-263 |title=Article 3, (1)(c) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120154810/http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-54-263 |archive-date=20 November 2012 }}</ref> The Council of Europe's ] and the ] Decision that became active in 2006 require signatory or member states to criminalize all aspects of child pornography.<ref name= Akdeniz11/>
A review in 2005 of child pornography laws in 184 countries by the ] (ICMEC) and other organizations including software giant Microsoft shows that more than half have no laws that address child pornography. <ref>, April 6, 2006, Canadian Children's Rights Council</ref>


==Organizations==
==Artificially generated or simulated imagery ==
{{Expand section|date=November 2023}}
A small fraction of ] involving minors is produced without the direct involvement of children in the production process itself. Forms of such pornography include: modified photographs of real children, non-minor teenagers made to look younger (Age Regression), and fully computer-generated imagery <ref>, '']'', March 11, 2008</ref> or adults made to look like children.<ref>Paul, B. and Linz, D. (2008). "," ''Communication Research'', 35(1), 3-38</ref>. Drawings or animations that depict sexual acts involving children but are not intended to look like photographs may also be considered by some to be child pornography. An example of this is the ] sub genre known as ], which has been the subject of much controversy regarding impact on ] <ref name="comic relief">{{cite news| url = http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20040427zg.html| title = Does comic relief hurt kids?| author = Tony McNicol| work = ]| date = ]| accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref><ref name="Japan Today">{{cite web| url = http://www.japantoday.com/jp/kuchikomi/292| title = 'Rorikon' trade nurturing a fetish for young females| publisher = ]| date = ]| accessdate = 2008-01-13}}</ref> The reported link between the use of child pornography and child abuse has been used to justify the prohibition of sexual depictions of children, whether their production involves child abuse or not.<ref>{{cite book | title=Report of the Committee on Sexual Offenses against Children and Youth, Vols. 1-11, and summary |author=Government of Canada |publisher=Government of Canada, Department of Supply and Service as "Badgely Report; Cat. No. J2-50/1984/E, Vols. 1-11, H74-13/1984-1E, Summary" |date=1984}}</ref>
There are many anti-child pornography organizations, such as the ], ], ], and ].{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Realistic virtual child pornography is illegal in the United States <ref name=DOJfactsheet/><ref name=fulltext/><ref name=govtracksummary/> and in the European Union; in Germany it is punishable by up to five years in prison.<ref name=theage/><ref name=eko>Eko, L. S. (2006, Jun) Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Dresden International Congress Centre, Dresden, Germany Online Retrieved 2008-04-22</ref> In the Australian state of Victoria, it is illegal to publish imagery that "describes or depicts a person who is, or appears to be, a minor engaging in sexual activity or depicted in an indecent sexual manner or context", however the application of this law to virtual child pornography has not yet been tested in the courts. <ref name=eko>Eko, L. S. (2006, Jun) Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Dresden International Congress Centre, Dresden, Germany Online Retrieved 2008-04-22</ref><ref name=theage>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/can-an-avatar-commit-a-crime/2007/05/09/1178390390098.html |title=Brave new world or virtual pedophile paradise? Second Life falls foul of law |date= 2007-05-10 |author=Chris Johnston}}</ref>

In 2007, the virtual world online computer game ] banned what they describe as "sexual 'ageplay', ie, depictions of or engagement in sexualized conduct with avatars that resemble children".<ref name=WB>{{cite web |url=http://virtuallyblind.com/2008/05/23/ageplay-ban-clarified/|title=New Supreme Court Opinion Discusses Virtual Child Pornography Law; Linden Lab’s 2007 Ban Clarified|date=May 23rd, 2008 |author=Benjamin Duranske}}</ref><ref name=linden>{{cite web|url=http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/11/13/clarification-of-policy-disallowing-ageplay/#more-1379 |title=Clarification of Policy Disallowing “Ageplay”|date=November 13th, 2007 |author=Ken D Linden}}</ref> The ban prohibits the use of child-like ] in any sexual contexts or areas, and prohibits the placement of sexualized graphics or other objects in any "children's areas" such as virtual children's playgrounds within the game environment.<ref name=linden/>

Google announced in 2008 that it is working with NCMEC to help automate and streamline how child protection workers sift through millions of pornographic images to identify victims of abuse. Google has developed video fingerprinting technology and software to automate the review of some 13 million pornographic images and videos that analysts at the center previously had to review manually.<ref name=Google>{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24113246/|title=Google enlists video ID tools to fight child porn|accessdate=2008-04-30 |work=Msnbc| }}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
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==References== ==References==

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==External links== ==External links==
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*{{cite web |url=http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2451 |author=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children |title=Child Pornography Fact Sheet}}
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*{{cite web |url=http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2451 |author=National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (USA) |title=Child Pornography Fact Sheet |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115225944/http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2451 |archive-date=15 November 2007 |df=dmy-all }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/research/reading_lists/child_abuse_images_and_the_internet_wda65568.html |author=National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (UK) |title=Child abuse images and the internet: A reading list |access-date=13 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203093949/http://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/research/reading_lists/child_abuse_images_and_the_internet_wda65568.html |archive-date=3 February 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
* Oppenheimer, Mark. {{YouTube|_YMDpvJ9xcw|Video of submission to South African parliament on virtual child pornography, Part 1}}. . . . .
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Latest revision as of 00:17, 26 December 2024

Erotic materials involving minors

Sex and the law
Social issues
Specific offences
(varies by jurisdiction)
Sex offender registration
Portals

Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn, or kiddie porn and child sexual abuse material known by the acronym CSAM, underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law) is erotic material that depicts persons under the designated age of majority. The precise characteristics of what constitutes child pornography varies by criminal jurisdiction.

Child pornography is often produced through online solicitation, coercion and covert photographing. In some cases, sexual abuse (such as forcible rape) is involved during production. Pornographic pictures of minors are also often produced by children and teenagers themselves without the involvement of an adult. Images and videos are collected and shared by online sex offenders.

Laws regarding child pornography generally include sexual images involving prepubescents, pubescent, or post-pubescent minors and computer-generated images that appear to involve them. Most possessors of child pornography who are arrested are found to possess images of prepubescent children; possessors of pornographic images of post-pubescent minors are less likely to be prosecuted, even though those images also fall within the statutes.

Child pornography is illegal and censored in most jurisdictions in the world. Ninety-four of 187 Interpol member states had laws specifically addressing child pornography as of 2008, though this does not include nations that ban all pornography.

Terminology and definitions

The precise definition of the term "child pornography" varies by jurisdictions and there is no consensus in international law regarding the precise meaning of the word.

In the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court has defined child pornography as material that "visually depicts sexual conduct by children below a specified age". In Canada, child pornography can also entail depictions of fictional minors. In the United Kingdom, the law does not use the term "child pornography", though it does define a series of illegal sexual materials that are commonly regarded as child pornography. Some English jurisdictions use the COPINE scale to sort potentially sexual media involving minors.

In the 2000s, use of the term child abuse images increased by both scholars and law enforcement personnel because the term "pornography" can carry the inaccurate implication of consent and create distance from the abusive nature of the material. A similar term, child sexual abuse material, is used by some official bodies, and similar terms such as "child abuse material", "documented child sexual abuse", and "depicted child sexual abuse" are also used, as are the acronyms CAM and CAI. The term "child pornography" retains its legal definitions in various jurisdictions, along with related terms such as "indecent photographs of a child" and others. In 2008, the World Congress III against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents stated in their formally adopted pact that "Increasingly the term 'child abuse images' is being used to refer to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in pornography. This is to reflect the seriousness of the phenomenon and to emphasize that pornographic images of children are in fact records of a crime being committed."

Production

The characteristics of child pornography production cases varies widely. Some materials are produced through coercion, seduction or coaxing. Other erotic images depicting children are photographed covertly (e.g. showering pictures). Violent "hands-on" offenses (such as forcible rape) are rare in criminal cases of child pornography production, instead most of such cases involve online solicitation, the exchange of gifts and promises of romance. In many cases, child pornography is often produced by minors themselves without the participation of an adult.

In April 2018, The Daily Telegraph reported that of the sexually explicit images of children and teenagers (11 to 15 year-olds) found on the Internet, 31% were made by children or teenagers from November 2017 to February 2018, with 40% in December 2017; 349 cases in January 2017 and 1717 in January 2018. The images were made by children or teenagers photographing or filming each other or as selfies, without adults present or coercing, by unwittingly imitating adult pornographic or nude images or videos (including of celebrities) that they had found on the Internet. The report said that sex offenders trawled for and amassed such images.

A 2007 study in Ireland, undertaken by the Garda Síochána, revealed the most serious content in a sample of over 100 cases involving indecent images of children. In 44% of cases, the most serious images depicted nudity or erotic posing, in 7% they depicted sexual activity between children, in 7% they depicted non-penetrative sexual activity between adults and children, in 37% they depicted penetrative sexual activity between adults and children, and in 5% they depicted sadism or bestiality. A 2012 study reported that, in a sample of child pornography production arrest cases from 2009, 37% of the reviewed material was adult-produced and 39% was produced by minors with some involvement of an adult; the remaining items were produced by minors only.

Artificially generated or simulated imagery

Main article: Simulated child pornography

Simulated child pornography produced without the direct involvement of children in the production process itself includes modified photographs of real children, non-minor teenagers made to look younger (age regression), fully computer-generated imagery, and adults made to look like children.

Sexting and filming among minors

Main article: Sexting

Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images, primarily between mobile phones, of oneself to others (such as dating partners or friends). It may also include the use of a computer or any digital device. Such images may be passed along to others or posted on the Internet. In many jurisdictions, the age of consent is lower than the age of majority, and a minor who is over the age of consent can legally have sex with a person of the same age. Many laws on child pornography were passed before cell phone cameras became common among teenagers close in age to or over the age of consent and sexting was understood as a phenomenon. Teenagers who are legally able to consent to sex, but under the age of majority, can be charged with production and distribution of child pornography if they send naked images of themselves to friends or sex partners of the same age. The University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center estimates that 7 percent of people arrested on suspicion of child pornography production in 2009 were teenagers who shared images with peers consensually. Such arrests also include teenage couples or friends with a small age disparity, where one is a legal adult and the other is not. In some countries, mandatory sentencing requires anybody convicted of such an offense to be placed on a sex offender registry.

Globe icon.The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new section, as appropriate. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Legal professionals and academics have criticized the use of child pornography laws with mandatory punishments against teenagers over the age of consent for sex offenses. Florida cyber crimes defense attorney David S. Seltzer wrote of this that "I do not believe that our child pornography laws were designed for these situations ... A conviction for possession of child pornography in Florida draws up to five years in prison for each picture or video, plus a lifelong requirement to register as a sex offender."

In a 2013 interview, assistant professor of communications at the University of Colorado Denver, Amy Adele Hasinoff, who studies the repercussions of sexting has stated that the "very harsh" child pornography laws are "designed to address adults exploiting children" and should not replace better sex education and consent training for teens. She went on to say, "Sexting is a sex act, and if it's consensual, that's fine ... Anyone who distributes these pictures without consent is doing something malicious and abusive, but child pornography laws are too harsh to address it."

Cybersex trafficking

Main article: Cybersex trafficking

Child victims of cybersex trafficking are forced into live streaming, pornographic exploitation on webcam which can be recorded and later sold. Victims are raped by traffickers or coerced to perform sex acts on themselves or other children while being filmed and broadcast in real time. They are frequently forced to watch the paying consumers on shared screens and follow their orders. It occurs in 'cybersex dens', which are rooms equipped with webcams. Overseas predators and pedophiles seek out and pay to watch the victims.

Distribution and receipt

Philip Jenkins notes that there is "overwhelming evidence that is all but impossible to obtain through nonelectronic means." The Internet has radically changed how child pornography is reproduced and disseminated, and, according to the United States Department of Justice, resulted in a massive increase in the "availability, accessibility, and volume of child pornography."

Digital cameras and Internet distribution facilitated by the use of credit cards and the ease of transferring images across national borders has made it easier than ever before for users of child pornography to obtain the photographs and videos.

In 2019, the New York Times reported that child pornography was now a crisis. Tech companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Dropbox reported over 18 million cases of child sexual abuse material, which includes over 45 million images and videos.

In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, an increase of 12% from 2022.

Offender characteristics

Child pornography offenders are predominantly white, male, aged between 25 and 50 years and, in relation to "hands on" child sex abusers, more likely to be employed. On multiple studies, they have been reported to have higher education at a rate of 30%. Research has also shown that around 50% of child pornography offenders were single either at the time of their offences or after they were prosecuted. Child pornography offenders are also less likely to be parents compared to contact offenders. Scholars have also found that while "hands-on" offenders are relatively likely to transition into pornography offenders (with some admitting to using child pornography as a substitute for committing contact offenses), the opposite is rarely the case.

In a study conducted by Michael Seto in 2010, 33–50% of a sample of child pornography offenders reported having sexual interest in children. Another 2009 study diagnosed 31% of its sample of online child sex offenders with pedophilia. Aside from a predominant sexual interest in children, other reasons for online child pornography offending include indiscriminate sexual interest, pornography addiction and accidental access to child pornography material. Having a history of child pornography offending has been stated by some researchers to be a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia.

A meta-analysis of nine studies conducted by Seto in 2011 reported a sexual recidivism rate of 5% for follow-up periods ranging from one to six years. Another paper published by Seto in 2015 reported a sexual recidivism rate of 11% in a 5-year follow-up period. Research has also shown that offenders that measure high on antisociality and atypical sexual interests are most likely to sexually reoffend. Other studies have also reported rates of recidivism for child pornography offenders that are inferior to those of contact child sex offenders. People who have committed both pornography and contact offences have a higher recidivism rate for contact offences than child pornography offenders.

Relation to child molestation

Main article: Relationship between child pornography and child sexual abuse

Experts differ over any causal link between child pornography and child sexual abuse, with some experts saying that it increases the risk of child sexual abuse, and others saying that use of child pornography reduces the risk of offending. A 2008 American review of the use of Internet communication to lure children outlines the possible links to actual behaviour regarding the effects of Internet child pornography.

According to one paper from the Mayo Clinic based on case reports of those under treatment, 30% to 80% of individuals who viewed child pornography and 76% of individuals who were arrested for Internet child pornography had molested a child. As the total number of those who view such images can not be ascertained, the ratio of passive viewing to molestation remains unknown. The report also notes that it is difficult to define the progression from computerized child pornography to physical acts against children. Several professors of psychology state that memories of child abuse are maintained as long as visual records exist, are accessed, and are "exploited perversely."

A study by Wolak, Finkelhor, and Mitchell states that:

ates of child sexual abuse have declined substantially since the mid-1990s, a time period that corresponds to the spread of CP online. ... The fact that this trend is revealed in multiple sources tends to undermine arguments that it is because of reduced reporting or changes in investigatory or statistical procedures. ... o date, there has not been a spike in the rate of child sexual abuse that corresponds with the apparent expansion of online CP.

Ethics

The study of the ethics regarding child pornography has been greatly neglected among academics. Feminist writer Susan Cole has argued that the absence of ethical literature regarding the topic can be explained by the simplicity of the matter, given that "there a general consensus about the harm involved" in this type of material.

Some scholars have argued that the possession of child pornography is immoral because it would validate the act of child sexual abuse or actively encourage people to engage in child molestation. In a 1984 study involving 51 child sexual abusers, 67% of the sample reported making use of "hardcore sexual stimuli". However, the study failed to prove that there was a causal relationship between such type of pornography usage and child sexual abuse. Other similar studies have also found a correlation between child molestation and usage of extreme erotic materials, but they did not limit the definition of "pornography" or "hardcore sexual stimuli" to child pornography.

Some judges have argued that child pornography usage fuels a marketplace of child sexual abuse material, thus creating a financial incentive for its production. Such stance could be challenged by Anne Higonnet's contention that there is no evidence of a commercially profitable market of child pornography. However, the argument could still be held true if it is proven that those who produce child pornography do so not because of a potential financial benefit, but because they expect others to view the material that they produce.

Judith Butler stated in 1990 that, in light of the new 20th century laws regarding child pornography, the very act of speaking of child pornography has intensified its erotic effect, leading to an "eroticization of prohibition". Another idea relating to the ethics of child pornography states that allowing such materials would lead to children being seen as sexual objects, thus potentially leading adults to commit child sexual abuse.

The Gamer's Dilemma

The Gamer's Dilemma, conceptualized by researcher Morgan Luck in a 2009 essay, is a moral challenge that contrasts the societal acceptance of acts of virtual murder in videogames and the simultaneous condemnation of virtual acts of child molestation in virtual environments (including in computer-generated child pornography). According to Luck, there is no sound justification for making a distinction between the two actions, and the arguments against virtual acts of child sexual abuse are also valid for virtual acts of murder.

Ethicists have devised two main types of answers to the Gamer's Dilemma:

  • The first type attempts to solve the challenge by highlighting the moral differences between virtual acts of child sexual abuse and murder, thus concluding that virtual acts of child molestation are often immoral, while simulated acts of murder often aren't.
  • The second attempts to undermine Luck's challenge by either denying that virtual acts of murder are morally permissible, or that virtual acts of child molestation are morally impermissible.

A study published in 2023 suggested that most of its participants reacted negatively both to depictions of virtual murder and sexual abuse, with sexual abuse triggering significantly more negative reactions than murder.

Laws

Main article: Legality of child pornography

International coordination of law enforcement

One of the primary mandates of the international policing organization Interpol is the prevention of crimes against children involving the crossing of international borders, including child pornography and all other forms of exploitation and trafficking of children.

National and international law

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2023)

Child pornography laws provide severe penalties for producers and distributors in almost all societies, usually including incarceration, with shorter duration of sentences for non-commercial distribution depending on the extent and content of the material distributed. Convictions for possessing child pornography also usually include prison sentences, but those sentences are often converted to probation for first-time offenders.

In 2006, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) published a report of findings on the presence of child pornography legislation in the then-184 INTERPOL member countries. It later updated this information, in subsequent editions, to include 196 UN member countries. The report, entitled "Child Pornography: Model Legislation & Global Review", assesses whether national legislation:

(1) exists with specific regard to child pornography; (2) provides a definition of child pornography; (3) expressly criminalizes computer-facilitated offenses; (4) criminalizes the knowing possession of child pornography, regardless of intent to distribute; and (5) requires ISPs to report suspected child pornography to law enforcement or to some other mandated agency.

ICMEC stated that it found in its initial report that only 27 countries had legislation needed to deal with child pornography offenses, while 95 countries did not have any legislation that specifically addressed child pornography, making child pornography a global issue worsened by the inadequacies of domestic legislation. The 7th Edition Report found that still only 69 countries had legislation needed to deal with child pornography offenses, while 53 did not have any legislation specifically addressing the problem. Over seven years of research from 2006 to 2012, ICMEC and its Koons Family Institute on International Law and Policy report that they have worked with 100 countries that have revised or put in place new child pornography laws.

A 2008 review of child pornography laws in 187 countries by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) showed that 93 had no laws that specifically addressed child pornography. Of the 94 that did, 36 did not criminalize possession of child pornography regardless of intent to distribute. This review, however, did not count legislation outlawing all pornography as being "specific" to child pornography. It also did not count bans on "the worst forms of child labor". Some societies such as Canada and Australia have laws banning cartoon, manga, or written child pornography and others require ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to monitor internet traffic to detect it.

The United Nations Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography requires parties to outlaw the "producing, distributing, disseminating, importing, exporting, offering, selling or possessing for the above purposes" of child pornography. The Council of Europe's Cybercrime Convention and the EU Framework Decision that became active in 2006 require signatory or member states to criminalize all aspects of child pornography.

Organizations

This section needs expansion. You can help by making an edit requestadding to it . (November 2023)

There are many anti-child pornography organizations, such as the Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography, Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection, ECPAT International, and International Justice Mission.

See also

References

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