On February 7, 2007 I read an article on the BBC News that a child pornography ring in Austria was being investigated and shut down by Austrian Authorities. This ring encompassed 2,360 individuals in 77 countries such as Germany, England, Denmark, Russia, Algeria, France, Venezuela and Iceland, etc. The FBI is investigating over 600 individuals in the United States for downloading and distributing the material after watching it.
What is truly disturbing about this is that the Internet is now being used to further exploit and destroy the innocence of children. The oldest child noted on the videos that were being downloaded was 14 years. Many of the children on the videos could be heard screaming and were filmed while being raped. Even though the ring was uncovered in Austria the videos were originally posted on a Russian website. Child pornography and the sex trade of children are now a multi-million and multinational business enterprise. A lot of the children who are exploited are in Asia—countries such as Cambodia, India, Vietnam where children as young as 5 years are sold into the sex trade for as little as $10.
I read the story of Srey who at age 5 was sold by her parents (reported on CNN.com). Srey was rescued after one year of being passed from one man to another—many of these men sex tourists (men who come to Cambodia from Germany, England, the U.S., Venezuela, etc.) that come to do what they cannot do in their own countries. The children are usually drugged and or beaten to force them to respond docilely to these men’s deviant appetites. Unfortunely even when they are rescued these children will bear the psychological scars for years and many of them will also bear physical scars. In the case of Srey she has been diagnosed as HIV positive.
One of the comments that I read in regard to the police in this country investigating and arresting individuals who were viewing child pornography online stated that “the people looking at it aren’t hurting anyone” and further that they should not be punished by the government. I also recently heard a caller to one of our local Spanish-Language radio stations commenting that he was getting the “hots” for his 15-year-old sister in law who had just arrived from El Salvador—the radio show host was just laughing and egging on the caller basically encouraging him to do something about his desire to show his machismo. These are the types of attitude that permit child pornography and the crimes that flow from it to flourish.
Child pornography is never a victimless crime. The child that is filmed while being abused is a child that not only loses his or her innocence but also will forever feel that their soul has been violated. I know this because I am a survivor. While I was never filmed I carry the scars on my heart and in my soul. I was molested by a family “friend” from the age of 4 until I turned 9. Instead of dreaming of dolls, I would have nightmares of a man/a devil coming out from behind the shower curtain and attacking me.
It has taken me over 40 years to come to terms with what happened to me. Typical of a victim of child molestation (and pornography) I have suffered from years of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety attacks and numerous broken relationships mainly because until last year I never confided my secret to anyone. Most survivors have severe problems with trust issues since most of the perpetrators are people that we were taught to trust, i.e. family members, family friends, priests, pastors, teachers, etc.
What can we do about the issue of child pornography and molestation? We can support groups such as Save the Children, UNICEF, and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence. We can be vigilant with every child that we have contact with such as our own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, godchildren, students, etc. Most children show signs of being molested: Changes in behavior, such as mood swings, withdrawal, fearfulness, excessive crying; Bed-wetting, nightmares, fear of going to bed, or other sleep disturbances, Changes in toilet-training habits; A fear of certain places, people or activities, etc. can indicate that the child is being molested or can be attributed to other explanations. If you observe any of these behaviors, talk to the child about the causes and get help if necessary.
Every child deserves to grow up in an environment of love and security and as a society we should not rest until every child in the world is guaranteed that right.
Copyright February 2007
Margarita M. Dilone
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