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The government agenda
ing individuals who produce, trade in and consume (often those who possess) material constituting
child pornography, the task of tackling child pornography primarily falls under the responsibility of
the Minister of Justice. 71
Holding a ministry responsible for the task of tackling child pornography is based on the assumption that
an underlying market and networks of producers and consumers are involved in child pornography as
opposed to sexual abuse within families. 72 This is not true; see §1.4.2, from which it emerges that in many cases,
the production of child abuse material takes place within families or within dependency relationships.
Other ministries are also taking initiatives to develop policies aimed at combating and preventing child
abuse, combating and preventing sexual violence (in dependency relationships), promoting the ability
to defend oneself against sexual approaches and promoting sexual health, creating safe day-care centres,
and increasing children’s knowledge about digital safety. Amongst other things, this is usually based on
immediately combating or preventing sexual violence against children. Work is almost always carried
out on an inter-departmental basis. 73 Initiatives sometimes start out in the form of programmes implemented
by a single ministry, and other departments join in at a later stage, whereas other programmes
are implemented on a government-wide basis. One such initiative is the initiative of the Ministry of
Justice with regard to domestic violence, that later went on to form part of the governmental policy. 74
The Lanzarote Convention specifically mentions sexual violence against children, in which a digital
component is involved. This was the first convention in which technological developments were taken
into consideration in the legislation, from the background of the general protection of children from
sexual abuse.
In the following chapters, it will become apparent as to which policy initiatives have a digital or analogue
component and the extent to which aspects relating to child pornography are taken into consideration
in this context. Although the task of tackling child pornography needs to be integrated into the
programme of measures towards combating sexual violence against children – both for the sake of the
effectiveness of the measures for combating sexual abuse as well as for the sake of the effectiveness of
the measures for tackling child pornography – it will come to light below that the connection between
the digital and analogue aspects can barely be recognised in policy.
2.4 Security and Justice 75
The Ministry of Security and Justice is the initiator of, and is specifically responsible for, policy and measures
for tackling child pornography. This is evident from various programmes, such as the Programme of
Improvements in Tackling <strong>Child</strong> <strong>Pornography</strong>, the Korpsmonitor [Police Corps Monitor on <strong>Child</strong> Pornogra-
71 Parliamentary Papers II 2006/07, 31 001, no.16.
72 Parliamentary Papers II 2006/07, 31 001, no.16.
73 For example: the Ministry of Economic Affairs is the initiator of the ‘Digivaardig & Digibewust’ campaign,
which takes place in collaboration with the Ministry of Security and Justice and the Ministry of the
Interior and Kingdom Relations, see §2.8
74 Ministry of Justice, 2002b.
75 The policy initiatives of the police are described below.
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