Anti-pedophile activism

Anti-pedophile graffiti in Poland

Anti-pedophile activism encompasses social actions against pedophiles. It also includes acts of anti-pedophile citizen vigilantism conducted by vigilante groups,[1][2] some of which have operated alongside government agencies in countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Activities performed by anti-pedophile vigilante groups have included harassment, including against families of people accused of crimes as well as people wrongly accused, doxing, blackmailing and physical attacks, with some people being killed or having died by suicide after being accused, for which reasons such groups have been widely condemned by law-enforcement and government bodies.[3][4][5][6][7] In the 2010s, several vigilante groups were established in countries including the United States and United Kingdom, many of which were inspired by To Catch a Predator,[8][9][1][6] an American reality television show that had worked alongside vigilante group Perverted-Justice until being cancelled following the suicide of American assistant district attorney Bill Conradt in 2007.

In Russia, neo-Nazi activist Maxim Martsinkevich launched the Occupy Pedophilia project in 2012, which targeted men that sought sexual activities with boys on the internet, who would be subject to several sorts of torture and humiliation on camera.[1] In the United Kingdom, prominent tabloid newspaper News of the World, owned by press magnate Rupert Murdoch, launched anti-pedophile campaign Name and Shame in 2000 that aimed to expose people convicted of sex offenses. The campaign resulted in several lynch-mob and firebomb attacks occurring in England and Scotland, most of which targeted innocent people who were wrongly identified as child sex offenders.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Lowenkron, Laura (2013). ""All against pedophilia": ethnographic notes about a contemporary moral crusade". Vibrant: Virtual Brazilian Anthropology. 10 (2): 39–72. doi:10.1590/S1809-43412013000200002. ISSN 1809-4341.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (2020). "Paedophile hunters 'could jeopardise criminal proceedings', study warns". The Independent.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Scott, Niall, ed. (2007). "Depraved Paedos and Other Beasts: The Media Portrayal of Child Sexual Abusers in Ireland and the UK". Monsters and the monstrous: myths and metaphors of enduring evil. At the interface, probing the boundaries. Amsterdam: Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-2253-9.
  8. ^ "He lures alleged child predators and shames them on Facebook. Now one of his targets is dead". NBC News. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Allison, Rebecca (2000-08-29). "Doctor driven out of home by vigilantes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  11. ^ Hoge, Warren (2000-08-07). "Britain Fights Tide of Anti-Pedophile Attacks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-23.