“It’s a progressive addiction… What starts off as looking at an arguably mild porn-category becomes blasé, and then the viewers move on to more hardcore stuff. That’s how a lot of people – not everyone – but a lot of people get into child pornography.”
Following news headlines stating that three alleged sex offenders from the Western Cape had been arrested in connection with international investigations targeting producers, consumers and distributors of child pornography, S.T.O.P.’s Clive Human weighed in with his expertise.
Three men were arrested in Mitchell’s Plain, Kraaifontein and Worcester respectively over the past two weeks in a joint operation by the Police serial and electronic crime investigations (Seci) unit and the USA Department of Homelands Security, according to Brig Athlenda Mathe.
“A man who posed as a teenager to lure underage girls to a chat group where child pornography was distributed and shared is among three child online sexual predators that have been arrested,” she added.
Busted: The suspects
- A 32-year-old man from Mitchell’s Plain was the third suspect to be arrested on Friday 19 January. He was found to be chatting with and luring underage girls on a chat group where nude pictures where exchanged.
- Another suspect, a 40-year-old man, was arrested in Kraaifontein on Thursday 18 January. He was found with more than 149 000 pictures of child pornography as well as more than 5 000 videos. He is facing charges of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, possession, distribution and accessing of child pornography.
- Lastly, a 53-year-old man from Worcester was the first to be arrested on Wednesday 17 January. He has so far been found with 95 000 images and 6 000 videos of child pornography. He faces a charge of accessing, distributing and possession of child pornography.
All suspects appeared before various courts such as Mitchell’s Plain, Kraaifontein and Worcester Magistrates’ Court where their cases were postponed for further investigation.
These arrests form part of an international operation to trace manufacturers, users, and distributors of child pornography.
S.T.O.P. weighs in
Human, a Meadowridge local and director of Standing Together to Oppose Pornography (S.T.O.P.), told People’s Post pornography addiction and associated perversions are on the increase.
“It’s a progressive addiction… What starts off as looking at an arguably mild porn-category becomes blasé, and then the viewers move on to more hardcore stuff. That’s how a lot of people – not everyone – but a lot of people get into child pornography.”
He believes that, in a lot of instances, pornography grooms its viewers to consume younger, “barely 18-year-old” subjects re-enacting sexual conduct in explicit adult entertainment material.
“The stuff you’ve been looking at, no matter what it is, becomes old hat and you start looking for new things. Be it bestiality, or child pornography or child sexual abuse material (SCAM) – people get drawn into this world,” Human continued.
“But thankfully, the world and its special agencies like Interpol are tracking sites and places like these. They flag certain terms searched by people online in this field. When something pops up, they start investigating, which is a long investigation and, depending on the country, they’ll inform the local guys.”
“I’m so thankful that our guys (police) have nailed guys up in Gauteng, Natal and now in the Western Cape. I know, right now, there are issues in places like Plettenberg Bay.”
Moreover, Human hopes that the children found to have been abused by such conduct get help, counselling and professional assistance, “which I’m sure, or hope, they are if the authorities are involved.”
He was also reminded of cases he personally worked on, “in which the parents abuse their own children. They become so sick in their heads, that they think it’s alright to do these things.
“Parents should ensure the right checks and balances on their children’s devices to ensure their safety. A child cannot be allowed with unrestricted phone internet access.”
S.T.O.P. is an organisation run by volunteers formed in 1996. Aside from the general public, particularly parents, S.T.O.P. has gained support from schools, churches of various denominations and faiths and like-minded NGOs and organisations.
