Psychopathological characteristics of child pornographers and their victims: a literature review

Abstract

Child pornography is a form of child sexual exploitation which has been modified by the use of the Internet. The use of child pornography does not necessarily lead to actual child abuse. Victims of child pornography can be classified as direct victims, who have been sexually abused, and indirect victims, who receive images to groom them for actual abuse in the future. Based on a review of the literature, we present the psychopathological characteristics of child pornographers and their victims.