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<strong>Child</strong> PornograPhy First report oF the Dutch NatioNal rapporteur
guarantee the complete anonymity of victims in criminal proceedings in situations such as this, and
as such to protect the identity and personal details of victims. The way in which this can be achieved,
without this being contrary to Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights, must be investigated.
An important question concerns the issue of how justice can also be done to victims, when
it is assumed that they will become victimised time and time again as a result of the distribution of
child abuse material (revictimisation), and what the consequences would be if it were possible for
them to receive compensation. This should be investigated in more detail. Whether parents, as such,
should be regarded as victims and whether they should, for example, also be granted the right to
speak in this capacity – and not just as a representative of their child – is currently under discussion.
The judge in the Amsterdam sexual abuse case is expected to deliver a judgment about this issue in
the near future.
3.6 After-care for and supervision of sex offenders 495
3.6.1 Introduction
In almost all cases, sex offenders who are convicted return to society. This sometimes arouses very
intense emotions amongst the general public, based on the – sometimes justified – fear that children
will once again be victimised. The group of offenders that commit sexual violence against children is,
however, heterogeneous, and the likelihood of re-offending varies. 496 Nevertheless, it is apparent that
paying attention to the after-care and supervision of sex offenders who have returned to society, the
tailoring of these activities, and the framework in which they are applied, all form a vital link that can
prevent sex offenders from re-offending. The Lanzarote Convention 497 states that paying attention to
perpetrators is an essential component of an integrated approach to the tackling of sexual violence
against children. 498
Compulsory supervision takes place within a legal framework. However, this is not the only framework
within which (after-)care, treatment and supervision take place. 499 The partners within the judicial do-
495 In this section, after-care and supervision are discussed with regard to offenders of sexual violence
against children in general, in view of the fact that it is not easy to make a clear distinction between
offenders of different forms of sexual violence against children. However, special attention should be
paid to the specific challenges that are associated with the internet usage of those individuals who view
child abuse material.
496 See §1.4.2 about perpetrators. In view of the maximum sentence on the grounds of a sexual offence
in connection with the system of cumulation of penalties, there will come a time in almost all cases
when the sex offender will return to society.
497 Articles 15-17 of the Convention on the Protection of <strong>Child</strong>ren Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual
Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), Lanzarote, 25 October 2007, Treaty Series 2008, 58.
498 Parliamentary Papers II 2008/09, 31 808, no.3, pp. 9-10.
499 See §3.3 for the British Stop It Now! treatment programme, whereby those who view child abuse material
are able to come forward themselves, and the possibilities on the basis of the Municipalities Act
that will be discussed in further detail in §3.6.2.