Child erotica

Sex and the law
Social issues
Specific offences
(varies by jurisdiction)
Sex offender registration
Portals

Child erotica is non-pornographic material relating to children that is used by any individuals for sexual purposes.[1][2][3] It is a broader term than child pornography, incorporating material that may cause sexual arousal such as nonsexual images, books or magazines on children or pedophilia, toys, diaries, or clothes.[3][4] Law enforcement investigators have found that child erotica is often collected by pedophiles and child sexual abuse offenders. It may be collected as a form of compulsive behavior and as a substitute for illegal underage pornography and is often a form of evidence for criminal behavior.[1]

The history of child erotica goes back at least as far as the paintings of the ancient Greeks, and continues through England's Libertine movement of the 1600s to the advent of the printing press, the camera and the case of Lewis Carroll.[5] Painters of child erotica have included, for example, Balthus.[6]

Some of the images are distributed over the internet and presented in a fashion similar to non-erotic child modeling. Child beauty pageantry, which has attracted millions of viewers to shows such as Little Miss Perfect and Toddlers and Tiaras, is sometimes viewed as a form of child erotica similar to child modeling in that the children appear in provocative poses in bikinis and short skirts; but some participants' parents argue that the pageants help their children build positive qualities such as poise, individuality, and confidence.[7]

Much as there has been a push to relabel underage pornography as "abuse images", the use of the term "child erotica" is controversial due to the artistic and literary connotations of the word "erotica".[8]

  1. ^ a b Lanning, Kenneth V. (2001). Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis 4th ed (PDF) (Report). Vol. 86. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. pp. 85–95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  2. ^ Lanning, Kenneth V. (1992). Child sex rings: a behavioral analysis for criminal justice professionals handling cases of child sexual exploitation (PDF). National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  3. ^ a b Zillmann, Dolf; Jennings Bryant (1989). Pornography: Research Advances and Policy Considerations. Routledge. pp. 239–241. ISBN 0-8058-0615-6.
  4. ^ Strachan Peterson, Marilyn; Michael Durfee; Kevin Coulter (2003). Child Abuse and Neglect: Guidelines for Identification, Assessment, and Case Management. Volcano Press. p. 123. ISBN 1-884244-21-1.
  5. ^ Tate, T. (1990) Child Pornography: An Investigation. London: Methuen.
  6. ^ https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/40979392/ANCIENT_GREEK_MYTH_AND_DRAMA_IN_GREEK_CINEMA_1930-2012.pdf[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Tamer, Christine (Fall 2011). "Toddlers, tiaras, and pedophilia? The "borderline child pornography" embraced by the American public". Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law. 13 (1): 85–101.
  8. ^ Leary, Mary (January 2009). "Death to Child Erotica: How Mislabeling the Evidence Can Risk Inaccuracy in the Courtroom". Scholarly Articles.