Abstract

            Child pornography is a type of child sex abuse and has been increasing in the recent past. Since time immemorial, the American government has always come up with legislation to protect individuals from cases of sex pornography. This article will focus on what constitutes child pornography and why sex predators give for their actions. The paper also proposes what the government should do to prevent cases of child pornography.

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Child pornography and sexual exploitation

History of Child pornography and sexual exploitation

When it comes to sexual exploitation and slavery among children, most Americans tend to view it as an issue that started centuries ago. In the period 1800-1900, most of the states in America pushed the child’s age of consent from 10 years to 16 years. The above transition played an essential role in protecting the purity of young girls.   However, individuals should realize that sexual exploitation cases were very high during that time but were rarely reported. Therefore, raising the consent age was a clear indication of concern from the authorities. The relevant authorities came up with the Mann Act of 1910, intending to fight against forced prostitution and females’ transportation from state to state. Nonetheless, the policy did not protect underage girls.

The Act was amended in 1978 to protect both male and female minors from sexual exploitation. The introduction of child pornography came to be in the late 1970s, thus prompting the authorities to take action. The Mann Act was also amended in 1986 to protect minors from all forms of sexual activities for which any individual found guilty can be charged with a criminal offense. The rise of technology in the 1990s played an essential role in increasing child pornography cases in the United States (McCarthy, 2010). The internet made it possible for sexual predators to communicate efficiently and find victims easily. This triggered another amendment to the Mann Act in 1994. The amendment made it criminal to transport any individual within or outside of the United States for prostitution or criminal sexual acts. The Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Act of 1994 also makes it illegal for an individual to travel in and out of the country to have sex with an underage individual. In 2002, congress passed the Sex Tourism Prohibition Improvement Act that criminalizes sex tour operators’ actions.

Child pornography has been on the increase in the recent past due to the ever-evolving technology. “According to federal laws, child pornography encompasses any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct surrounding persons below 18 years. Following the federal laws in the United States of America, the production, distribution, and distribution of child pornography are against the law.   The development of technology goes hand in hand with the increase in cases of child pornography as the images are readily available on the different social media platforms, including photo-sharing sites and gaming devices (Holt, Blevins & Burkert, 2010).”

Law enforcement officers are obligated to halt the spread of child pornography and should realize that the online community has promoted communication and collaboration between child pornography offenders, thus strengthening the creation and distribution of the explicit images  (McCarthy, 2010). What sexual offenders tend to forget is that their actions have a higher likelihood of desensitizing those involved in physical and physiological damage.

The methods that sexual exploitation offenders use to evade the law’s full force have also become more sophisticated due to technology improvement (Library, 2015). For instance, child pornography offenders tend to use encryption techniques and hide their amassed collection of illicit child abuse images.  Several online criminal organizations invest heavily in training their workers to evade law enforcement officials. Unluckily, even the most developed countries globally are not immune to child pornography and sexual exploitation. The continued production of sexually explicit images increases the demand for more detailed photos, thus triggering child victims’ constant molestation and new children’s abuse.

Categories of child pornography offenders

Child pornography offenders are a new breed of sexual offenders. There exist different categories of child pornography. To begin with, it is a browser. A browser may unintentionally come across child pornography but decide to keep it, which is a crime  (Library, 2015). The law enforcement officers can prove that the individual had the intention to own and possess the material. In a situation where there is no admission, an individual can be held guilty of child pornography by surrounding circumstances like repeated visits to the site.

Theories explaining the prevalence of child pornography and sexual exploitation

Different scholars have developed theories that explain the prevalence of child pornography and sexual exploitation in the contemporary world. Unlike social media platforms ranging from Twitter to Facebook, individuals in other parts of the world have made it possible to develop personal online profiles and voice their opinions easily without the need to go through intermediaries and be used as a means of spreading sexual explicit images of innocent individuals. One of the theories that can explain the spread of child pornography is the routine activity theory (Brown & Bricknell, 2018). This approach draws on maximum exploitation of an available opportunity.  Offenders target victims who have little or no protection (weak guardians). Victimization risk is a function of how an individual patterns his behavior and lifestyle.

Presence of opportunities and motivations

Cyberspace makes it possible to access child exploitation materials.   The internet also makes it possible for sexual predators to easily lure children into engaging in sexual activities using the internet without necessarily being present  (Brown & Bricknell, 2018).  For instance, an offender can convince a child to carry out a sexual activity via the webcam.

Absence of capable guardianship

Due to the nature of work most parents have, they have little or no time to supervise their children’s activities over the internet. The majority of the children are, therefore, vulnerable to exploitation. First, cyberspace lacks visual cues that can play an essential role in helping the children make judgments about the sincerity of individuals they are communicating with.

Profile of child exploitation material offenders

Child exploitation material encompasses the abusive images of children that are distributed via the internet. The internet plays an essential role in creating an environment that promotes anonymity and widespread sexually explicit photos.  Recent scientific studies show that the majority of individuals who commit online sexual exploitation are men. There is an economic explanation of why most men and especially young men, commit more crimes than their female counterparts (Briggs, Simon, & Simonsen, 2010). Their adverse labor market opportunities can explain high online sexual exploitation rates among young men. Available jobs for young individuals tend to be low-paying ones increasing the likelihood for young males to be lured into criminal activities easily. Therefore, if low wages are one of the reasons that trigger young males to engage in sexual exploitation, the relevant authorities need to improve their labor market conditions. They can be discouraged from engaging in various crimes.

Recent studies also show that the majority of individuals who engage in online sexual exploitation are educated. Education can play a substantial role in increasing the levels of sexual exploitation through different social media platforms.  Educated individuals have the required skills to help them commit crimes and avoid the law’s full force (Brown & Bricknell, 2018. For instance, schooling increases patience exhibited by criminals. Their actions are always calculated and therefore prevent cases in which the police can arrest them. They understand the importance of discretion and can use fake identity cards to create social media accounts that cannot trace back to them. Also, educated criminals conduct a cost-benefit analysis before engaging in crimes, which allows them to maximize profits at the expense of costs.

Child sexual abuse by female offenders

Stereotypically, child sexual abuse implies the image of male perpetrators sexually violating a female child. However, what people should understand is that men are actively involved in child pornography and sexual exploitation, and women do. Irrespective of the violator’s gender cases involving sexual violation is an underreported crime.  Sexual exploitation conducted by women has specific characteristics. The majority of sexual exploitation victims who are abused by women seem to range from 26-37 years of age (Westlakea, Bouchard, & Girodat, 2017). The majority of the women found guilty of sexual exploitation have a higher likelihood of having experienced sexual abuse in their tender ages. Such individuals also show signs of mental related health problems and especially substance abuse. Besides, such individuals could also have personality disorders and frequently engaged in domestic-related violence. Also, female sexual violators find their victims in their closer social circle. However, female offenders, in most instances, tend to violate more men compared to women.

Both men and women’s sexual exploitation offenders tend to share similar assumptions about their victims and the nature of the offenses they commit.  Such individuals are not also aware of their wrongdoing as they tend to justify the consequences of their actions.  For instance, they can blame the victim’s dressing code for their actions  (Westlakea, Bouchard, & Girodat, 2017). They can insinuate that the victim dressed provocatively and thus tempted them into the abuse.  Therefore, the excuses are given absolve perpetrators from the guilt, shame, embarrassment, and hatred that would typically accompany a moral transgression.

Effects of child pornography and sexual exploitation to the victims.

Victims of child pornography have a higher likelihood of experiencing physical injuries and pain, including sexually transmitted diseases. Sexual offenders inflict a lot of pain on the victims during the actual Act. Such individuals do not use protection during sex and can infect victims with sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. Being infected with HIV can lead to dropouts from school by learners, which can interfere with their futures.

Victims of pornography can also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders such as depression due to their ordeals. Such a condition can lead to poor health among the victims and even a sense of isolation due to the shame of being explicitly exposed in the media. Such a situation can also lead to suicidal thoughts, especially if the victims are not given the necessary therapeutic assistance.

Victims of sexual exploitation have a higher likelihood of suffering from low self-esteem. Low self-esteem gives an individual a feeling of not being good enough and can lead to hatred. Although individuals tend to dislike themselves in certain situations, low self-esteem can make an individual develop a sense of anger towards self and frustrations about who they are and fail to forgive themselves even for minor mistakes committed  (Briggs, Simon, & Simonsen, 2010).  Low self-esteem can also make the sexual exploitation victims obsessed with being perfect, which can negatively affect their lives, especially social life. Due to the ordeals faced, an individual can also hate her body, affecting how people protect themselves in different facets of life to how they dress. However, to overcome the above, there is a dire need for the victims to seek therapeutic assistance from professionals to speed up the healing process.

Comprehensive Measures to Eliminate Child Pornography

There is a dire need for the American government to develop measures to reduce the prevalence of child pornography and sexual exploitation. The cabinet office can convene a conference in collaboration with relevant ministries and develop ways of dealing with pornography related cases  (Briggs, Simon, & Simonsen, 2010). Through their discussions, they can push for the allocation of funds that can be used to educate young people, especially those in school, on the importance of using social for the right reasons instead of taking advantage of their peers. The funds can also educate the parents on the importance of monitoring what their children do on the different social media platforms for their children’s greater good.

The government can also promote people’s movement by soliciting symbol marks to eliminate child pornography and sexual exploitation. They can also organize symposiums through which individuals can be educated about the dangers associated with child pornography. Raising awareness among people can play a substantial role in people reporting sexual offenders, which can deter future offenders.

The government should also provide a safe environment safe and secure for internet use. In the face of an increase in the number of child pornography-related cases, there is a dire need for the government to educate the public on the importance of filtering services and software, keeping the people away from falling as victims of pornography.  The government should also collaborate with the media in educating the people about the importance of sharing explicit images of their bodies on the different social media platforms and avoid talking to strangers in the media.

In conclusion, due to the evolving technology, there has been an increase in child pornographic cases in different parts of the world. Sex predators take advantage of innocent children on various social media platforms and lure them into engaging in explicit sexual acts. What such individuals tend to forget is that sexual exploitation interferes with the well-being of the victims. For instance, such individuals can suffer from depression and decreased self-esteem.  Also, technology has made it hard for law enforcement officials to deal with sexual exploitation cases. Parents also have a duty of supervising the actions of their children on social media. Through this, they can ensure that they do not engage in activities that can land them in the hands of sexual predators. There is a dire need for all stakeholders to come up with strategies to reduce such cases. For instance, children can be educated on the importance of not sharing explicit photos on social media. Also, individuals found guilty of sexual exploitation should face the full force of the law.

References

Briggs, P., Simon, W. T., & Simonsen, S. (2010). Sexual Abuse. A Journal of Treatment and Research, 1-21.

Brown, R., & Bricknell, S. (2018). Trends & issuesin crime and criminal justice . Australian Institute of Criminology, 1-15.

Holt, T. J., Blevins, K. R., & Burkert, N. (2010). Considering the Pedophile Subculture Online. A Journal of Research and Treatment, 1-22.

Library, W. O. (2015). Internet Child Sex Offenders’ Concerns about Online Security and their Use of Identity Protection Technologies: A Review. Child Abuse Review, 427-429.

McCarthy, J. A. (2010). Internet sexual activity: A comparison between contact and non-contact child pornography offenders. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 181-195.

Westlakea, B. G., Bouchard, M., & Girodat, A. (2017). How Obvious Is It? The Content of Child Sexual Exploitation. DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, 282–293.

Topic: Child Pornography and Sexual Exploitation
Subject: Criminology
Sources: 5 sources required
Style: APA 6th edition