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The phenomenon of child pornography
Lanning, 246 the answer to the question of whether viewers have a preferential inclination is usually found
in the manner in which the material is collected and organised. Preferential offenders generally only
collect child abuse material and other material related to children and their collections form a reflection
of their sexual fantasies. Non-preferential possessors with paraphilic disorders and situational offenders
may collect child abuse material in addition to legal forms of pornography. These individuals are also
referred to as ‘omnivores’ 247 (in the sense of non-specific collectors) in relation to their pornography
consumption. <strong>Child</strong> abuse material is not collected to the same extent as in the case of preferential offenders
and the same degree of predictability does not apply. 248
Minors and female perpetrators
The age of perpetrators of sexual abuse in general, and of producers of child abuse material and viewers
in particular, varies. 249 Minors also commit sexual abuse against children, 250 an example of which may
involve brothers or sisters committing sexual abuse. 251 In cases of sex offences, minors who perpetrate
sexual abuse against children may also display other criminal behaviour and inadequate social skills, 252
but may also be victims of sexual abuse themselves. 253 A considerable proportion of the available material
is made by minors themselves, 254 sometimes by means of ‘sexting’. 255 In the case of sexting, minors
who are voluntarily engaged in a sexual relationship have produced images of sexual conduct involving
one another. This usually does not involve pre-adolescent children, but adolescents who display sexually
experimental behaviour that is appropriate for their age. It may be the case, however, that the images
are unintentionally distributed and fall into the hands of third parties and the (post) adolescent material
may subsequently find its way onto (adult) pornographic websites. In such cases, individuals may
be the producer, distributor and victim of child abuse material. 256 The gender of offenders can also vary:
there are also women who sexually abuse children and/or view child abuse material. 257 The number of
female offenders is probably less than the number of male offenders, 258 but incidences involving female
offenders may be underreported. 259
246 Lanning, 2010, p.79.
247 Van Wijk et al., 2009.
248 See for example Court of Utrecht, 25 May 2010, LJN: BM8000.
249 Lanning, 2010.
250 Van Wijk et al., 2009; Leukfeldt et al., 2009, p.158. Weesepoel, 2011; see §3.5.4.4 and §3.6.4.
251 Leuw et al., 2004.
252 Bartol & Bartol, 2005, p.369.
253 Lanning, 2010, p.48; Finkelhor et al., 1986, p.104.
254 For example, 46% of the images that were processed by the Victim Identification Team of the British
CEOP organisation between 2008 and 2010 were produced by youngsters themselves. (H. White, Conference
Indecent Images of <strong>Child</strong>ren, CEOP, 8 March 2011). See also Weesepoel, 2011
255 Mclaughlin, 2010.
256 Weesepoel, 2011, pp. 8-9.
257 Seigfried et al., 2008; Taylor & Quayle, 2003, pp.66-67; Groep Zweedse vrouwen verdacht van kinderporno
[Group of Swedish women suspected of child pornography offences], AD, 6 September 2011, available
at: www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1013/Buitenland/article/detail/2434876/2011/05/20/Groep-Zweedse-vrouwenverdacht-van-kinderporno.dhtml
(viewed 27 July 2011).
258 See also §3.5.4.4
259 Taylor & Quayle, 2003, p.68.
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