Episode 20: Child Sexual Abuse Material: One Click Away

Beyond Fear

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM), previously known as child pornography, can be a confronting and uncomfortable topic. CSAM can refer to the possession, viewing, sharing, and creation of images or videos that involve the visual depiction of children involved in a sex act. Although CSAM was almost completely eradicated in the 1980s, the dawn of the Internet ushered the proliferation of it. The anonymity of the Internet and the ease of sharing digital images of children makes this material ‘one click away’.

During this episode, we speak to Nicholas a person who was convicted of and served prison time for the possession of child sexual abuse material. Importantly, Nicholas emphasizes the fact that although his committed a non-contact offense, his crime was not victim-less. His description of his life before, during and after the offense provides critical insights regarding the factors that can lead someone to consuming CSAM, the importance and effectiveness of treatment, the challenges of life after prison for someone convicted of an act of sexual harm, and many other topics that we have covered during previous episodes.

We understand that hearing Nicholas’ story can be confronting and uncomfortable, but we think his account provides important information that can be used to combat the proliferation of child sexual abuse material in the future.

Additional Readings and Resources:

Child Pornography – The United States Department of Justice

Citizen’s Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Child Pornography – The United States Department of Justice

Child Pornography Offenders: Quick Facts – United States Sentencing Commission

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