Help us to help you survey 2023
The program incorporates the results of the anonymous ‘Help us to help you survey’ on individuals who search for CSAM. We have gathered data from 12,873 respondents to learn about the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of individuals who search for and use CSAM.
Significantly, we found that 62% of respondents said that they had at some point tried to stop their use of CSAM but had been unable to do so. 66% of CSAM users said that they were under 18 years old when they had first seen CSAM, and 37% were under 13.
Approximately 50% said they first saw CSAM by accident, whereas 32% first found it by actively searching for hard core pornography or CSAM. The ReDirection self-help program has been developed by a team of senior specialist psychologists and psychotherapists in Finland and Sweden and is based on cognitive behavioral theory.
This program has been created to provide guidance to those who have the motivation to change but need help in making sustainable long-lasting behavioral change.
Quotes
The quotes used in this ReDirection self-help program are quotes from CSAM users who have answered our ‘Help us to help you’ ReDirection survey (2023) in the dark web. Some comments have been edited for clarity.
We asked CSAM searchers and users about the reasons for their use of CSAM. Here are some answers:
“When watching porn, sometimes it isn’t enough and I need something more “taboo”, so normal porn isn’t enough.”
“I use child porn when regular porn bore me.”
“Drawn porn/hentai/manga might have functioned as a low entry bar to escalate into more serious stuff (like actual photographs).”
“I have been abused in my younger days, and every time I recall what has happened to me, I feel the urge to view this kind of material, so I don’t feel alone.”
“I use it to examine the cycle of my own sexual abuse. The attempt to reclaim power.”
You can find respondents comments and data in these separate tabs along the program.
