Child/Sibling Abuse And The Media

7. MEDIA
The Expert Group has found the role of the media in the evolution of commercial sexual exploitation to be complex. On the one hand, the media tell stories of abused and abuser, through news, reports, documentaries, photographs and drama and whereby create greater public awareness. On the other hand, the media can themselves become the exploiter, by creating sexually provocative images of children in news or advertising or become the vehicle for child pornography or a source of information for paedophile networks and sex tourism.

The way the media portray children has a profound impact on society's attitude to children and childhood, which also affects the way adults behave. It is therefore of utmost importance that the media help the child to maintain dignity and identity while reporting the facts of commercial sexual exploitation, in order not to re-exploit the child.

The term media encompasses not only newspapers, television and radio but also books, magazines, films, billboards, computer games,
Internet, film and other performing arts. These are all powerful tools and give the media a major role in education and advocacy. To
prevent distribution of child pornography through Internet transnational measures are required at a level involving wider geographical areas than the CBSS States. The online industry has decided to report activities involving child pornography to concerned authorities.

It is a delicate matter to develop ethical guidelines directed for the media. The guidelines can be seen as a way of trying to limit the freedom of the press. The Expert Group has found that the best way of solving this question is through national dialogues.