Child-porn use can lead to sexual abuse

Viewers of child pornography usually don't look at the children's faces, says Dr. Richard Hamill.

To do so would ruin the users' "cognitive distortion": their fantasy that a child as young as six could willingly consent to -- and even enjoy -- being sexually abused, and photographed engaging in graphic sexual acts.

"They want to believe it isn't harmful, that the child is consenting. It's a self-serving definition of what constitutes consent," stated Dr. Hamill, who treats both victims and users of child pornography.

Of course, he added, children are not capable of giving consent to engage in sex.

Statistics

As much as 20 percent of the pornography on the internet involves children, according to statistics provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Those who view such pornography -- mainly adult Caucasian men -- fall into several categories: They are sexually interested in children, "sexually indiscriminate" (always seeking new sexual stimuli), sexually curious (downloading a few images), or interested in profiting financially from producing child pornography themselves.

In Dr. Hamill's experience, 70 percent of pornography offenders given polygraphs admit to being sexual abusers, as well.

Looking at child pornography is "an imagined rehearsal of an act," he explained. "By recurrently fantasizing about a certain type of act, it does cause somebody to be more likely to participate in this act."

Market for images

Marsha Gilmer-Tullis of NCMEC told The Evangelist that viewers of child pornography are likely to pass images along to other offenders, and that any use of child pornography creates more of a market for it, meaning that more children will be victimized.

"People are producing it for profit because they know there are individuals out there who are going to want it," she stated.

Said Dr. Hamill, "By creating the marketplace, they contribute to the victimization of these children."

Getting help

Help for offenders is available. Dr. Hamill said that, if individuals are beginning to find children sexually attractive, it's important for them to consult a professional therapist.

Support groups like Sexaholics Anonymous or Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, may also be a resource.

"This is one of those areas where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," he stated.

Referring to patients who are now facing lengthy prison terms for using child pornography, he said, "they really wish they had sought me out before it became a problem. You don't want to be creating more fantasies about having sex with kids."

(Persons seeking help for addiction to child pornography can contact Dr. Richard Hamill at 489-7971. He is in private practice in Albany and has worked for 25 years at St. Anne's Institute, an Albany treatment center for troubled teenage girls. Possession of child pornography is illegal under both federal and state laws.)

(6/7/07)