Child Sex Abuse Images and Exploitation Materials

Abstract

Online markets for Child Exploitation Materials (CEM) or Child Sex Abuse materials (CSAM) have developed in tandem with the rapid expansion of the Internet. CEM images of sexual abuse of children, often photographs and videos, include live transmission of sexual assault as well as simulated experiences using virtual reality technology or robotics. User-generated images, sexting and ‘revenge porn’ are new sources of image-based abuse often involving older children. This chapter describes the prevalence and nature of CEM, profiles of offenders and victims, and law enforcement responses. The content of CEM constitutes a crime scene that can help trace offenders and identify victims, but poses challenges for digital forensics. Definitions of CEM, the relationship between online and offline offending; emerging developments in CEM; and international, regulatory, and collaborative approaches to suppress CEM are described.

Keywords: child exploitation material, online sexual offences, international policing, cybercrime