In his February 19, 2006 article Let's Fight This Terrible Crime Against Our Children Vachss discusses the topic of child pornography and calls upon Americans to join in the fight.
Vachss states that child pornography is used by paedophiles in the following ways:
As personal arousal or stimulation
To desensitize potential victims during the grooming phase
And
Beyond that, child pornography also is used by pedophiles as personal validation. Each image tells the collector that he (or she) is not a pervert but a victim, one whose sexual interests—although unaccepted by a "repressive society"—are shared by many. Treatment specialists are always telling us that pedophiles suffer from low self-esteem. The truth is that nothing raises the self-esteem of such individuals more than the certain proof that they are not alone. And such validation is never more than a mouse-click away.
Vachss also addressed the question of whether paedophiles care about the pain the victims suffer:
No. All pedophiles—even the ones who describe their predatory conduct as "love"—lack empathy. The pain of others is immaterial to the pursuit of their own pleasures. And for the overt sadists, such pain would only increase the value of their "collections."
Vachss suggests we join together to demand tougher penalties, abolish the statute of limitations, enact federal laws to allow the United States to sue on behalf of any as-yet-unidentified children depicted in seized child pornography and recognize that child pornography is an international crime.
To learn more and join the fight, please visit PROTECT today.
