Viewing iioc is NOT a Gateway to Committing a Contact Offence against Children.
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a new literature review on offences involving indecent images of children (IIOC).
The literature review, carried out by expert academics from the University of Surrey and Middlesex University, will help to inform the Council’s work on developing sentencing guidelines for indecent images offences.
The review found that there is little support for the proposition that viewing IIOC is a gateway to committing contact offences against children. Despite this, many children of offenders experience lengthy and intrusive separation from the offending parent.
The impact on IIOC victims was also examined, including the long-term psychological and emotional harm, and damage to a child’s sense of privacy, dignity, and autonomy. The report found that victimisation as a child can lead to a number of serious challenges in adult life, including shame, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and relationship problems.
However, the report does not address the secondary victims and the harm done to the offender’s own family members including their own children who did not appear in any of the images.