Child Porn Essay, Research Paper

The child sex trade has been traditionally identified with underdeveloped third-world countries; particularly in Southeast Asia, where the cheap prices, ready availability of underage prostitutes and lax law enforcement have attracted Western sex tourists. However, the child sex trade is ever present in even the most civilised and advanced countries, and is an age-old problem that has long been underestimated.

Thomas Sancton, in his article ?Preying on the Young? intends to expose the brutality of the child sex trade, bringing to the attention the reader the globularity of the pornography that exploits children?s innocence. He also expresses his disgust towards the crimes of Marc Dutroux, a man who murdered and raped several young girls. His target seems to be young girls and mothers; mainly people who would most likely be at risk of either becoming a prostitute, or coming to terms with knowing someone that is.

The article speaks of campaigns that aim to reduce and combat child pornography- such as End Child Prostitution, Abduction and Trafficking (EPCAT), United Nations International Children?s Fund (UNICEF), and The World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation. These campaigns take up three distinct topics- prostitution, trafficking and pornography. The campaign must deal with the myriad, geographic, economic, legal and cultural factors, confront both the supply and demand sides of the equation, and most of all, sensitise world opinion on the problem that has been present in society for many years.

The headings and subheadings used in the article assist in expressing the author?s disgust towards the moralities surrounding prostitution- ?All over the world, boys and girls are abused in a vicious sex trade abetted by computer networks. What can we do to fight the scourge?? The author further reveals his feelings of repulsion towards the perversity and immorality of people that commit sex offences on young children.

Photos of young girls preparing to hit the streets and sell their bodies, and photos from an internet website frame the article, giving the reader the impression that the author is trying to prove them to look innocent- the reader will see the photograph, and their initial reaction will be, ?She?s so young and innocent, but look at what she is forced to do for a living.? It is designed to provoke the reader?s sympathy for the victims of child pornography.