Selfies and pseudo-images of minors in relation with child indecent material : a professional’s perspective

Abstract

The focus of this study is to find out whether professionals dealing with cases of child indecent material consider the current laws as adequate and suitable to deal with sexting between minors and pseudo-images of minors, or whether alternative responses even through the legislation itself should be put in place. Various research oppose the use of child pornography laws to be used against minors themselves and countries such as the US have tried to adopt an innovative response to address these issues; however in Malta the current child indecent material laws are still being used. Apart from this, pseudo-imagery especially ones where no actual child is involved is considered victimless for some and hence some scholars argue that this should not be criminalised; however others oppose this argument. This dissertation, through a qualitative approach, gathers information and ideas from professionals to seek the extent of this phenomenon, to understand both the level of knowledge and awareness among these professionals, and to evaluate whether the current local responses dealing with this behaviour are ideal. The research method used in this study involves semi-structured interviewing with professionals working as lawyers, law enforcement and members of support services. Through this research, the author also suggests recommendations to effectively address these issues involving minors at a national level, both from a social and legal context.