Online child sexual abuse: Prevalence and characteristics of the victims and offenders
Date
2021
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Publisher
İstanbul Kültür University
Abstract
Today, with the widespread use of the internet, online child sexual abuse, facilitated through the rise in malicious
sites that offer perpetrators the opportunity to interact with children, has emerged. Online child sexual abuse involves
the obtaining, displaying, collecting, and distributing of sexual content for the purpose of deriving sexual satisfaction
from a child. Online child sexual abuse threatens community mental health in terms of the harm it can cause to the
mental health of children and families. The relevant literature includes only a limited number of studies on online child
sexual abuse, with most focusing on child pornography. In this review, a definition of online child sexual abuse and its
characteristics, the prevalence of online sexual abuse, and the characteristics of online child sexual abuse victims and
offenders are presented in the light of the current literature. In addition, the review also provides information on how
pedophilic culture facilitates child sexual abuse and, on the strategies, criminals employ to avoid being caught. The increased amount of time spent online and the development of new strategies by criminals escalates the risk of children
being exposed to sexual abuse online. Therefore, it is crucial that online child sexual abuse be detected and prevented
to protect community mental health. This review aims to raise awareness in mental health professionals by presenting
information on online child sexual abuse literature and to contribute valuable data to future studies on this subject.
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Keywords
child abuse, child health, child psychiatry, child sexual abuse, psychiatric nursing, Turkey, International Resources
Citation
Özçalık, C. K., & Atakoğlu, R. (2021). Online child sexual abuse: Prevalence and characteristics of the victims and offenders. İstanbul Kültür University.