Considering the child’s perspective
Many people do not believe they are harming children when they communicate with them sexually on the internet. For example, do any of the following sound familiar?
- “The girl/boy I was talking to really could have stopped it at any time. I never threatened her/him.”
- “S/He was usually the one to start chatting with me. I never pursued her/him.”
- “I know I wasn’t the first older man s/he’d had contact with. If she didn’t like it the first time, s/he wouldn’t have started chatting to me.”
Exercise 4: The child’s perspective
Consider what you know about the child/ren you were interacting with and what you know about children generally. Think about the following discussion questions:
- What might have made it difficult for them to say ‘no’?(e.g. worry/anxiety, lack of assertiveness, fear of the person or losing the relationship)
- What needs could your contact with the child have been meeting for them? (e.g. perhaps they wanted attention as a result of an unhappy home life)
- What responsibilities do all adults have towards children?
- How does a child’s understanding of sexual contact, its meaning and consequences, differ from the understanding of adults?
- How able is a child to give informed consent to any form of sexual contact? (e.g. does a child fully recognise the risks and consequences of sexual contact)
- How could your interaction with the child have made them believe they held some responsibility for the chat?
