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<strong>Child</strong> PornograPhy First report oF the Dutch NatioNal rapporteur
specifically concerned with those individuals, groups and locations that pose a risk within the four target
groups. In comparison with primary prevention, secondary prevention has the advantage (in theory)
that the measures are aimed at the individuals and situations who/that require them. Finally, tertiary
prevention is concerned with intervention measures for individuals, groups and situations after sexual
abuse has already taken place. This type of measure aims to prevent abuse from continuing or being
repeated. Tertiary prevention measures relate to early identification and the limitation of the harm done
to victims, for example. These aspects will be discussed later.
Prevention measures within the perpetrators target group currently focus upon those who already have
convictions, and far less upon prevention with respect to individuals who are at higher risk of committing
a sexual offence against children for the first time, but have not yet done so. A very promising
measure that (also) targets individuals who have not yet committed offences of production, distribution
or possession of child abuse material or sexual abuse of children will be the introduction of the Britishinitiated
helpline Stop it Now! in the Netherlands in 2012.
With respect to the prevention of sexual abuse of children, a great deal of emphasis is placed upon the
(potential) victims. This is not entirely without contention, however, especially in relation to young
children. Adults should bear responsibility for children’s safety. Little is known of the actual preventive
effect of prevention programmes targeted at children, and many programmes devote no attention to
new media and the risks that these pose to young people. All prevention projects concerned with sexual
abuse must therefore expressly address the dangers associated with online behaviour, including those
that relate to child pornography.
As far as many perpetrators are concerned, an important reason for abusing children is that they have the
opportunity to do so. The purpose of situational prevention is to remove this opportunity or to reduce
the number of opportunities. The Gunning Committee has proposed a number of measures with regard
to situational prevention, which include measures to implement the four eyes principle and a registration
system for staff at day nurseries. Although the Gunning Committee concerns itself exclusively with
day nurseries, it could or should also be possible to apply such measures in other sectors in which people
work with children.
A fourth target group that can form the focus of prevention measures is the general public. Although
the general public are well aware of the phenomena of child sexual abuse and child pornography,
many misconceptions exist in relation to perpetrators and victims of such offences. Moreover, detailed
reporting of major abuse cases can give rise to anxiety amongst the public, whilst they are not given the
means to protect themselves and their children from abuse. To this end, it could be useful to take an
approach such as that of a public health model, in which the sexual abuse of children is viewed within
the broader context of public health. Such a model can focus upon education and the identification of
risks, and it can also target perpetrators. The absence of accurate information and the attitude of the
public towards paedophilia can make the existing barriers for paedophiles to seek help even greater.
In order to break through this barrier and to actually achieve a preventive effect, it is important that
the public is informed of the nature of victims and perpetrators. As yet, no such approach is used in
the Netherlands.
The two greatest challenges we face in the prevention of child pornography and the closely associated
wider phenomenon of sexual abuse of children involve the translation of knowledge and expertise into