Towards a Common Framework for Assessing the Activity & Associations of Groups Who Sexually Abuse Children

Extensive social psychological research emphasises the importance of groups in shaping individuals’ thoughts and actions. Within the child sexual abuse (CSA) literature criminal organisation has been largely overlooked, with some key exceptions. This research was a novel collaboration between academia and the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Starting from the premise that the group is, in itself, a form of social situation affecting abuse, it offers the first systematic situational analysis of CSA groups. In-depth behavioural data from a small sample of convicted CSA group-offenders (n = 3) were analysed qualitatively to identify factors and processes underpinning CSA groups’ activities and associations: group formation, evolution, identity and resources. The results emphasise CSA groups’ variability, fluidity and dynamism. The foundations of a general framework are proposed for researching and assessing CSA groups and designing effective interventions. It is hoped that this work will stimulate discussion and development in this long-neglected area of CSA, helping to build a coherent knowledge-base.

Below:  Themes and subthemes

Table II.

Description of subjects

Subject	Description
Simon	A 78-year-old white male, on licence for possessing indecent images of children. He was part of various different groups involved in contact child sex abuse, producing and distributing indecent images and support and advocacy for those with a sexual interest in children. Simon professes an exclusive sexual interest in boys aged 8–16 years, despite continuing sexual relations with one victim throughout his late teens and into early adulthood. Many of Simon's contact sexual offences took place while photographing children, often outside the United Kingdom. Prior to his arrest Simon lived alone, and he has never had an adult sexual relationship. He has been aware of his sexual attraction to children since his late teens
Clive	An 85-year-old white male, in prison for contact offences against his stepchildren. He is generally considered the leader of a violent group, which sexually exploited vulnerable boys. He may also have been involved in smaller, more impromptu groups and has a long history of solo offences. Clive's sexual interest spans both adults and children, male and female, although his preference is for pubescent and early post-pubescent boys. Clive began to be sexually interested in children in his teens and has committed both familial and non-familial contact offences over a 30-year period, in the United Kingdom and while abroad on military service. Clive has had several failed relationships with adult women, including the one whose children he abused
Les	A 35-year-old white male, in prison for contact offences and child pornography offences. He abused his own stepchildren and distributed the indecent images online. He also collected other indecent images via the internet. He was part of several online groups of varying sophistication, including one of the most prolific rings ever uncovered. Les became aware of his sexual interest in children in his late teens and describes struggling to control it for several years. He has been in several serious relationships with women and has one child of his own. His first experiences of contact offending were with the children of his now ex-wife. Due to the nature of online offending groups, Les has been involved in offence patterns that span multiple jurisdictions: his own contact offending, however, was concentrated in the United Kingdom

Full article at: http://goo.gl/xAwZj3

By: Ella Cockbain,1,* Helen Brayley,1 and Joe Sullivan2

¹ Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London, London, UK

2 

² Behavioural Analysis Unit, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), Part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), London, UK

   

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