Online child sexual exploitation of children - a qualitative study of in-family offences

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the sexual exploitation through online pornography shows, that takes place in Romania, in the family environment. This type of abuse is represented by cases where children are involved in live pornographic shows on the internet, within which minors perform the sexual acts requested by adult clients who pay for the show. Although a relatively recent phenomenon in our country, this type of abuse has been prevalent for years in other disadvantaged regions of the world. The research focuses on in-family offences and aims to identify the factors that lead to the commission of such crimes. Data was obtained through 27 semi-structured interviews that were conducted with specialists involved in the management of online pornography offences: police officers and psychologists from child protection departments. The results of the study show that, although family sexual exploitation through live-streaming shows is not a very common modus operandi, it has extremely serious consequences for the victims. Discussions with specialists outline two distinct social situations in which this type of abuse manifests: a part of the perpetrators come from economically marginalized families, in the framework of which other deviant behaviors are also registered and within which pornography is used to provide the necessary income for day-to-day living; for the second category of perpetrators, this form of exploitation represents a quick source of substantial income, which is used to provide them with the material comfort they aspire to.