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<strong>Child</strong> PornograPhy First report oF the Dutch NatioNal rapporteur
their child, but on the other hand, seeing the images can negatively influence the relationship between
parent and child.
The Municipal Health Service employees also stated that this case forms a reason to be more alert to child
abuse material in other files. They considered it desirable to raise awareness amongst Municipal Health
Service employees and care workers regarding the opportunity to pick up more indications of possible
child abuse material. According to them, this process would not be entirely straightforward: they refer
to the fact that picking up indications of sexual abuse against children in general is still problematic.
Furthermore, the employees indicated that there are limitations to the number of tasks with which care
workers in the field can be burdened.
The Mayor and Aldermen of Amsterdam ordered the Gunning Committee to carry out research into the
Amsterdam sexual abuse case. However, the research assignment did not involve the aspect of provision
of assistance. 751
3.7.6 Conclusion
Recognising the dimension of being a victim of child pornography offences
Considering the various aspects involved in being a victim of child pornography offences, the provision
of assistance is necessary in relation to the consequences of both the production of child abuse material,
as well as the distribution, possession and viewing of that material. Production usually always involves
sexual abuse. General and specialist facilities are available to provide such assistance, for young children,
older children and parents of children. However, the provision of assistance is barely designed for the
possibility that the abuse takes place within the context of child pornography. There is little awareness
of the possibility that the sexual abuse of children goes hand in hand with the production of images of
this abuse, and that this forms an additional dimension of being a victim of sexual abuse, which requires
integrated treatment.
Lack of specific knowledge
Associated with this, little is also known about the consequences of the distribution and possession of
child abuse material for the children who are victims of this and for their parents, and few programmes
of assistance exist that are directed at these aspects of being a victim. In more general terms, there is
only a limited amount of specific knowledge about being a victim of sexual violence via the Internet, and
about the inter-relatedness that may exist between sexual abuse and online sexual violence. Besides a
few reporting and chat sites on the Internet, little in the way of assistance is on offer for victims of online
sexual violence in the age group from twelve years upwards.
Online/offline connection
The system of care provision needs to form connections between offline and online forms of being a victim
of sexual abuse, and expertise needs to be built up with regard to effective methods and techniques
for the treatment of the consequences of online sexual violence.
751 Gunning et al., 2001. The assignment read:”…to investigate all facts and circumstances with reference to the question
as to how the (possible) abuse of children in the day nurseries concerned and via the Internet child-minding service(s)
concerned could have taken place…”