The Characteristics of Virtual Child Sexual Abuse Material Offenders and the Harms of Offending: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Print Media.

Autor: Christensen LS; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit, School of Law and Society, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Maroochydore, DC, QLD 4558 Australia., Vickery N; Law and Society Student, School of Law and Society, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Maroochydore, DC, QLD 4558 Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Sexuality & culture [Sex Cult] 2023 May 31, pp. 1-15. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 31.
DOI: 10.1007/s12119-023-10091-1
Abstrakt: Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has become a global problem. With technological advancements, a sub-type of material has emerged: virtual child sexual abuse material (VCSAM). Despite the far-reaching harms of this material, little is known about VCSAM offenders. Research has found some disconnect between the perceived harmfulness of VCSAM and legislative definitions, compared with CSAM. Given the media's influential ability to shape public perceptions, this exploratory study aimed to: (1) identify the characteristics of VCSAM offenders and (2) explore whether the harms of VCSAM are represented in this reporting. For the most up-to-date data, the search spanned 1 January 2019 to 23 September 2022. Of the 160 newspaper articles that appeared, 25 met the inclusion criteria. Four themes emerged from the qualitative content analysis: (1) VCSAM is a form of CSAM, (2) potential for escalation in offending from viewing VCSAM, (3) offenders have preferences in specific types of VCSAM (with the sub-theme: written stories and documents are VCSAM too), and (4) offenders "didn't know" the material was illegal. Overall, these findings were positive; how cases were reported may broadly educate the public about VCSAM offending, with articles signifying the harms of this offending. The current findings have the potential to contribute to prevention and intervention efforts, with utility in policymaking, criminal justice, media, and psychology disciplines.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest/Competing InterestsNone.
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Databáze: MEDLINE
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