Both the treatment of children as sexual objects and the production of erotic literature and drawings involving children have unfortunately existed through out the ages.
Following the rise of general pornography (after the invention of the camera in the early nineteenth century), child pornography proliferated with sexual images involving children being produced, traded and collected.The majority of imagery remained locally produced, expensive, of poor quality, and difficult to obtain.
Following the rise of general pornography (after the invention of the camera in the early nineteenth century), child pornography proliferated with sexual images involving children being produced, traded and collected.The majority of imagery remained locally produced, expensive, of poor quality, and difficult to obtain.
Following the relaxation of censorship standards in the 1960's, the availability of child pornography increased, and by 1977 over 250 child pornography magazines where circulating in the United States of America, many of European origin.
-Adler, A. (2001). “The Perverse Law of Child Pornography.” Columbia Law Review 101(2):209–273.
The response of law enforcement over the rising concerns of circulating child pornography saw the destruction and dramatic restriction of traditional hard-copy formats as well as a reduction in actual trafficking. However, after the advent of the internet in the 1980's, a platform was for the resurgence of this type of pornography, with a virtually untraceable method of distribution. |
The internet allows ordinary citizens to access child pornography images that may have been produced and stored in other cities, or on other continents. Alternatively, local citizens may produce or distribute images that are accessed and downloaded by thousands of people across the globe. Child pornography is unlike the majority of crimes handled by local police departments. An investigation that begins in one police district may cross jurisdictional boundaries, and most of the major investigations are sure to involve cooperation of law enforcement at an international level.
There is an estimated one million plus pornographic images of children currently on the internet, with 200 new images posted daily. It has been reported that a single child pornography site can receive over one million hits during one month. There are currently somewhere between 50 000 and 100 000 pedophiles involved in organized child pornography rings globally, with one third operating within the USA.
As many of these sites exist for only a brief period of time before they are shut down, estimating the exact number of statistics becomes impossible.
- “Buried by a Pile of Porn: Child Pornography.” The Economist (U.S.), Jan. 18, 2003, Vol. 366, Issue 8307
The general child pornography user:
Recreational user:
...access child pornography sites on impulse, out of curiosity, or for short-term entertainment. They are not seen to have long-term problems associated with child pornography use.
...access child pornography sites on impulse, out of curiosity, or for short-term entertainment. They are not seen to have long-term problems associated with child pornography use.
At risk user:
...are vulnerable individuals who have developed an interest in child pornography, but may not have done so had it not been for the Internet.
Sexual compulsive:
...have a specific interest in children as sexual objects and seek out child pornography
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