Small victim, huge crime Published Sept. 14, 2006 By Senior Airman John Gordinier 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the commercial business of child pornography over the Internet has been estimated to be as high as $20 billion worldwide. According to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, more than 20,000 images of illegal child pornography are posted on the Internet every week. What is classified as child pornography? Under federal law, child pornography is defined as a visual depiction of any kind, including a drawing, cartoon, sculpture, painting, photograph, film, video, image or picture of a minor engaging in sexual conduct and such depictions lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. "For young adults who are still developing a moral code separate from their parents and family, they may wonder what is wrong with viewing pornography, even child pornography, on the Internet," said Patti Busser, 20th Medical Operations Squadron family advocacy outreach manager. "After all, isn't it a victimless crime? The truth is that every picture of a child in a pornographic situation is that of a child who is being exploited. So, there is a victim -- a real, living, breathing victim. Usually, children who are being exploited for pornography are also victims of emotional and physical abuse, and are often being neglected. In some cases, the children are runaways who become so desperate for a warm bed and a hot meal that they trade their self respect. Children may even be fed illegal drugs to get them to cooperate. In every case, there is a victim." Possession, distribution, solicitation, viewing and downloading of child pornography are illegal and there are severe penalties for offenders. "Airmen who possess child pornography risk court-martial by military authorities or other federal or state prosecution," said Maj. Scott Boehne, 20th Fighter Wing deputy staff judge advocate. "If convicted, they may be confined in federal penitentiaries and punitively discharged from military service resulting in the loss of veteran's benefits. Also, depending on how the particular state law is written, a convicted offender may have to publicly register as a sex offender. "Congress criminalized the possession of child pornography in order to protect the children harmed in the making of the items as well as to protect children from pedophiles who would use the pornography to convince children that the requested acts or touchings are permissible," he said. Another danger of viewing child pornography is someone approaching a child to act on their fantasies, Ms. Busser said. "Viewing child pornography is part of a fantasy life that may begin with something like clicking on a 'pop-up' advertisement while alone late at night," she said. "In most cases of sexual abuse involving children, the abuse starts as minor acts before escalating to actual intercourse, and in almost all those cases there was a fantasy life involving children before there was the actual act. Child pornography feeds the fire of those struggling with fantasies about children. Specifically, with Internet child pornography, the normal social codes are stripped away and a person has complete anonymity. They are free to move through the most graphic pages of child porn that they can stomach. As they continue to view images, the thrill fades and they look for darker and darker images, and eventually may choose the thrill of acting out their fantasies. "As a community and a society, we should shoulder the consequences of exploiting children through pornography," Ms. Busser said. "Whether it is children who turn to drugs and alcohol to ease the shame they feel, or children who turn to gangs for a feeling of security, or children who turn to crime as a way to vent their anger at the world, we will all come face to face with the consequences of this so-called 'victimless crime.'"