In this video, ECPAT Taiwan founder Bernard Kao discusses the history of relevant legislation in Taiwan and controversies involving the animation, comics, and games (ACG) industry’s opposition to restrictions on synthetic CSAM. ECPAT Taiwan explains more in the brief article here.
Zero Tolerance for Child Sexual Exploitation
With the increasing number of online child sexual exploitation, people are paying more and more attention to computer-generated child sexual exploitation materials. Though it is called computer-generated CSAM, it not only refers to pseudo photographs or realistic AI materials but also includes comics, drawings, and cartoons such as manga and anime. Article 34 of the U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child provides a legal basis for states to take measures against child sexual abuse materials. In addition to that, recalling the Guidelines regarding the implementation of the OPSC, it is urgent to regulate all forms of child sexual abuse materials, including representations of non-existing children or of persons appearing to be children.
Even if computer-generated child sexual exploitation materials do not necessarily involve "real children" and may not cause direct physical harm to children, these materials are still similar to CSAM and can be very harmful. The most concerning problem is that it forms a value tolerating the sexualization of children. Essentially, there is no difference between sexualizing a real child or a virtual child character, both are projecting sexual desire onto the child. Especially for those who have sexual desire for children, the virtual content may intensify sexual stimulation, increase the demand for CSAM, and rationalize the harm to children.
Moreover, since these materials are computer-generated, it is easy to customize anything and make the children appear to “enjoy the abuse”. Through this perspective, these behaviors can be strengthened into a completely harmless illusion. Computer-generated child sexual exploitation materials not only materialize viewers’ sexual fantasies about children but also further lead to a society that normalizes the sexualization of children. It can also be found in real cases that computer-generated sexual exploitation materials are used to groom children just like CSAM. Even though it is computer-generated, it still can desensitize the child to sexual acts. When a society normalizes the sexualization of children, no one can guarantee that children will not be harmed by sexual violence.
An important concept in the CRC is that children shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. Adults should never take advantage of unequal power relationships to have sexual activities with children, nor treat children as sexual objects. Computer-generated child sexual exploitation materials use the images of children to present sexual activities that should not happen to children. These derogatory and dehumanizing contents are constantly spread and viewed, which encourage and spread harmful messages, causing harm to children’s dignity and the right to live in a safe environment. Therefore, to better protect children, it is vital to include computer-generated child sexual exploitation materials in legal provisions.
We all agree that there is no exception regarding child sexual exploitation and there is nothing virtual or unreal in the sexualization of children. Only if we prevent child sexual exploitation before any harm truly happens, will we be able to create a safe and friendly environment for children.