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Pornography and Sex Crimes in the Czech Republic
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Abstract and Figures
Pornography continues to be a contentious matter with those on the one side arguing it detrimental to society while others argue it is pleasurable to many and a feature of free speech. The advent of the Internet with the ready availability of sexually explicit materials thereon particularly has seemed to raise questions of its influence. Following the effects of a new law in the Czech Republic that allowed pornography to a society previously having forbidden it allowed us to monitor the change in sex related crime that followed the change. As found in all other countries in which the phenomenon has been studied, rape and other sex crimes did not increase. Of particular note is that this country, like Denmark and Japan, had a prolonged interval during which possession of child pornography was not illegal and, like those other countries, showed a significant decrease in the incidence of child sex abuse.
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... Such a potentially harmful, albeit somewhat debated, effect is CSAM being a gateway or a fuel to hands-on sexual offending. Although some scholars argue that virtual CSAM may help to prevent contact child abuse by providing an acceptable alternative outlet for paraphilic sexual urges (Diamond et al. 2011; van Es 2016), a more widely supported view is that consuming CSAM might actually increase the risk of contact offending (e.g., Insoll et al. 2022;Johnson 2020). Although the controversy is far from being resolved, it seems plausible to assume that CSAM consumption can act as a risk factor for contact abuse in the case of those who are already predisposed to offend (Seto et al. 2001), but not so much for those without a previous history of contact child sexual abuse (Hörnle et al. 2024;Endrass and Rossegger 2010). ...
... Given the extensive harm caused by CSAM-ranging from the ongoing psychological trauma inflicted on its victims (Gewirtz-Meydan et al. 2018Svedin and Back 2003) to the potential for normalizing risky sexual behavior (Foothills Child Advocacy Centre n.d.; Taylor 2018) and escalating sexual violence (Diamond et al. 2011)-criminalising AIdriven CSAM is imperative. Despite no physical abuse being involved, AI-driven content perpetuates the same cycles of victimisation, desensitises offenders (Seigfried-Spellar and Rogers 2013), fuels harmful fantasies, hinders the identification of real victims, which may increase the risk of contact offences ( van Es 2016;Insoll et al. 2022;Johnson 2020), and place a significant burden on law enforcement (Krishna et al. 2024;NCMEC 2024). ...
Although the escalation in online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is not a novel problem, recent digital proliferation has brought about new alarming challenges in addressing the issue. CSAM poses significant risks to children and society in general, the most serious being the long-lasting harmful effects on depicted victims. The already distressing problem is exacerbated by the worldwide appearance and spread of AI-driven or virtual CSAM, as AI offers a fast and increasingly profitable means for the sexual exploitation of children. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of current legislative measures focusing the European Union for combating online CSAM. With a particular focus on AI-driven CSAM, we will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of these regulations in addressing virtual CSAM. The paper will conclude with policy recommendations to address identified gaps in the European legislative framework concerning virtual CSAM.
... Much of the debate over pornography in the United States over the last 50 years has focused on two connected issues of whether pornography increases violence toward women and whether it degrades women (Dines, 2010;Dworkin, 1989;Jensen, 2007). While cross-cultural data generally support no clear direct link between adult consumption and violence (Diamond & Uchiyama, 1999;Diamond et al., 2011;Ferguson & Hartley, 2022;Kohut et al., 2016), it is less clear whether pornography or any particular sexual acts are inherently degrading to women. Part of this confusion comes from the unclear definitions/classifications of "degrading" and how often it is confounded with objectification (McKee, 2005). ...
When people raise concerns about pornography, they most often are focused on whether pornography increases violence toward women and/or whether it degrades women. While a substantial amount of cross-cultural data suggests that there is no direct link between adult consumption and violence, the question of whether pornography is inherently degrading to women lacks clear answers. As does the question of whether behaviors in pornography that are commonly labeled as degrading are perceived that way when they take place outside pornography. To answer this question about the inherent nature of degradation, we need a better definition and understanding of what particular behaviors people consider to be degrading and whether their perception of what is degrading is influenced by the circumstance or the people involved in a non-pornography setting. To examine this, 496 individuals (247 females, 249 males) were asked to indicate their perceptions of various sexual behaviors when engaged in by males and females toward male and female partners. Results suggest that while some particular sexual behaviors are broadly viewed as degrading (e.g., watersports), perceptions of degradation for other behaviors seem to be influenced by who is doing what to whom. In this sense, the perception of degradation exists in the eye of beholder and is often not defined by the particular sexual act. Future studies of degradation should take into account the context as well as the players involved.
... Thus, dolls could be used by people with, e.g., a pedophilic sexual interest, to experience sexual satisfaction, thereby even reducing the risk of children becoming victims of sexual violence [10]. This idea might be supported by findings related to pornography consumption, where increased availability has correlated with decreased sexual violence at the population level in some Western countries ( [3,21,22]; but see also [23] for a different view); similarly, the decrease in reported cases of child sexual abuse was associated with the legalization and accessibility of pornography in the Czech Republic [24]. ...
The review deals with the controversy surrounding the use of highly realistic dolls with a child-like appearance. It summarizes recent empirical findings and provides an overview of the different legal and ethical perspectives on this issue. Countries use different legal approaches to regulate the use or sale of child-like sex dolls. Although a causal link is assumed by some legislators between the prohibition of such dolls and the protection of children from sexual abuse, empirical studies do not support this causality. The imposition of bans will hinder empirical research on the potential use of alternative sexual outputs for people with paraphilic disorders.
... Follow-up longitudinal studies are necessary to provide temporal evidence of the directionality between PE, sexual aggression, and its risk factors. Such studies would also allow for the examination of various PE theories, such as the catharsis theory (Diamond et al., 2011), sexual script theory , violence desensitization model (Linz et al., 1988), and the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression (Malamuth et al., 1995(Malamuth et al., , 2021, to determine how PE relates to sexual aggression and whether third variables, such as impersonal sex (Wright, 2021), mediate or moderate the association. ...
Objective: Despite extensive research on the link between pornography exposure and sexual aggression, inconsistent results have hindered consensus on the association. To help resolve inconsistencies and advance the field of knowledge, the present study conducted a latent profile analysis to identify common patterns of pornography exposure and to examine their associations with sexual aggression and its risk factors. Method: A total of 491 men in the United States completed assessments of six pornography exposure profile indicators (i.e., frequency of pornography exposure, duration of typical pornography exposure, and exposure to pictures, sex films, degrading films, and violent films) and six outcome variables (i.e., sexual aggression, rape myth acceptance, hostile masculinity, casual sex, psychopathy, and emotion regulation difficulties). Results: The analysis identified three profiles: “infrequent pornography viewers” (n = 113), “average pornography viewers” (n = 302), and “violent pornography viewers” (n = 76). Compared to the infrequent pornography viewers and average pornography viewers profiles, the violent pornography viewers profile had significantly higher means for each outcome variable (ps < .05). Significant differences between the infrequent pornography viewers and average pornography viewers profiles were found for casual sex and difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior (ps < .05), but not the other outcome variables. Conclusions: Findings provided further insight into the association between pornography and sexual aggression in a way that cannot be observed using a variable-centered approach.
... Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies recognize an association between pornography use and victimization [11,30] and perpetration of sexual violence [31,32]. This association is greater when exposed to violent pornography [12,32,33], although there are studies that have not identified this association or display contradictory results [34,35]. The utilization of pornography among adolescents has been linked to an increased prevalence of risky sexual behavior [36]. ...
Background
Pornography consumption is higher in men, but we do not know if this association can be modified by different variables, such as sexual attraction and place of origin. Given the impact pornography has on minors, there are limited studies that analyze the use of pornography in representative samples of the adult population. The aim was analyze the prevalence and factors associated with using pornography in young adult men and women, living in Spain, with different sexual attractions and different places of birth.
Methods
Cross-sectional study with an online survey conducted with 2515 men and women aged between 18 and 35 years of age. The prevalence of pornography consumption is described and analyzed in the total sample and stratified by sex, according to socio-demographic and sexual attraction variables. The association between covariates and pornography consumption at some point in life was estimated with prevalence ratios (PR) obtained with the Poisson models of robust variance. Dependent variable: voluntarily using pornography at some point in life. Socio-demographic variables were included in the analysis: age, sex, level of education, place of birth. Sexual attraction was also analyzed.
Results
In Spain, 94.7% of men between 18 and 34 years and 74.6% of women have voluntarily used pornography at some point in their life. The mean age to start using it is earlier in men [Mean:14.2; Standard Deviation (SD):2.3]. Bisexual/homosexual attraction (reference: heterosexual) increases the probability of using pornography in women [(PR (95%CI): 1.30 (1.22; 1.38)]. Yet this is not observed in men. In both sexes, the probability of using pornography increases with age [(PR (95%CI): 1.01(1.00; 1.01)] and coming from abroad (reference: native), being the effect of country of birth significantly higher in women [(PR (95%CI): 1.17 (1.09; 1.26)] than in men [(PR (95%CI): 1.04 (1.01; 1.07).
Conclusions
Public health programmes aimed at improving affective-sexual health should consider the high use of pornography among young adults in Spain, as well as those variables that increase its use.
... Environmental cues suggesting that risky strategies are unnecessary for reproductive success weaken the motivation behind these impulses. This could be one explanation for the observed decrease in sexual assault rates associated with the increasing prevalence of pornography (Kutchinsky, 1973(Kutchinsky, , 1991Diamond, 1999;Diamond et al., 2011). ...
Incels (involuntary celibates) are an online subculture community of men who form an identity around their perceived inability to form sexual or romantic relationships. They attribute their lack of success to genetic factors, evolved mate preferences, and social inequities. While we have a deep ancestral history of incels, the modern incel community is an evolutionarily novel group that fosters a shared victimhood identity. We applaud Lindner for an important contribution to the scant literature on incels and highlight the importance of her evolutionary psychological lens in understanding their grievances. Our critique of Lindner’s work addresses two key issues. Firstly, we challenge the hypothesis that incels engage in simulated coalitional bargaining for sexual access. While coalitional bargaining for sexual access may have played a role in ancestral populations of involuntarily celibate men, this is not a suitable analysis of modern incels. Instead, the incel community operates as a fatalistic echo-chamber, where failure is celebrated, and individuals discourage each other from pursuing romantic success. Secondly, we critique the association between incels and violence. Contrary to common beliefs, empirical evidence suggests that incels are not particularly prone to violence. Incels’ propensity for violence appears relatively low compared to that of the general population. We conclude by offering one hypothesis as to why modern day incels are not as violent as we might expect. The Male Sedation Hypothesis, that online virtual worlds, such as pornography, may pacify the potential for violence among sexless young men, providing a counterfeit sense of sexual fulfillment and reducing motivation for real-life mate competition.
Sexual coercion is a widespread public health concern, especially among college students, and is associated with a multitude of negative consequences for survivors. Prior studies document an association between exposure to violent pornography and engagement in sexual coercion among men, although longitudinal examination of this association is largely absent. Using a prospective design, the current study examined how exposure to violent pornography relates to increased engagement in sexually coercive behaviors among college men over time. It was hypothesized that increased exposure to violent pornography would be associated with higher levels of gender inequitable attitudes, higher rape myth acceptance, greater problems with alcohol use, lower recognition of rape scenarios as rape, greater ascription of responsibility to the woman in instances of rape, and lower ascription of responsibility toward the man in instances of rape, all of which in turn would predict greater engagement in sexually coercive behavior over time. Data was collected from 247 college men who completed self-report surveys at baseline, 4-month, and 7-month intervals. Higher gender inequitable attitudes, greater problems with alcohol use, and lower levels of responsibility assigned to men for rape mediated the relation between exposure to violent pornography at baseline and endorsement of sexually coercive behavior at the 7-month. Findings highlight the need to address pornography literacy in sexual assault prevention programs for college men.
The objective of this study is to answer the question whether adjudicating a ban on holding a position (or positions), practicing a profession (or professions) or conducting activities related to the upbringing, treatment, education or care of minors for storing or possessing pornographic content with the participation of a minor child is legally justified de lege lata. The authors present their standpoint on the basis of a detailed analysis of the elements of penal measures under Articles 39(2) and 39(2a) of the Polish Criminal Code and the conditions for adjudicating these measures provided for in Articles 41(§1) and 41(§1a) of the Criminal Code. For this purpose, a review of Canadian, American, Swiss, German and Czech studies on the correlation between crimes involving child pornography and physical sexual abuse of minors has been conducted. At a later stage, a formal-dogmatic exegesis of rights protected by the types of prohibited acts criminalizing the possession or storage of child pornography, the concept of ‘damage to a minor’ and the collision arising from the application of Article 41(§1) and Article 41(§1a, sentence 2) of the Criminal Code has been undertaken. The conclusion that emerges from both the hitherto achievements of empirical research and the appropriately made formal-dogmatic analysis indicates that at present there are no legal grounds to adjudicate the said criminal ban in the case of possessed or stored, and not self-created, child pornography. Nonetheless, a possible social unrest arising from the fact of a professional contact with children by persons having or storing such materials may be accommodated by a simple amendment to the Article 41(§1a, sentence 2) of the Criminal Code, as proposed by the authors.
Research on pornography use and sexual coercion has provided inconsistent results. One explanation for this is the lack of a valid, reliable, and comprehensive measure of pornography use. This study seeks to address this need by developing a comprehensive pornography use instrument consisting of four domains identified in research: type of pornography used, sexual scripts, habits, and compulsivity. A sample of 324 college men was used. Results of the study yielded factor structures for these domains and evidence of reliability and validity. Findings present the initial development of a pornography use instrument that could improve research in this area and aid practitioners in treatment and supervision decisions.
The B4U-ACT Quarterly Review (B4QR) offers critical summaries of the latest publications concerning minor attracted people. The reviews are written by a team composed of MAP-research specialists (often PhD students) as well as MAPs themselves. This third issue of the third volume is a special Technology edition. Most the six articles reviewed explore the link between modern technologies and attraction to minors.
This book provides the first comprehensive treatment of out-of-court restructuring and post-commencement insolvency financing in the corporate group setting, domestically and internationally. Bringing together a collection of distinguished contributors-academics and practitioners at the forefront of insolvency practice and law reform efforts-the book addresses and critiques “state of the art” practice and work-arounds for financing out-of-court restructurings as well as judicial reorganisations, going-concern liquidations and administration proceedings of financially distressed global business groups. The book opens with a detailed introduction from the editors which provides an overview of domestic law issues and an exploration of principles guiding judicial and administrative cooperation to facilitate group financing in cross-border cases. The final section analyzes regional and global law reform and harmonisation progress to date. This book is a valuable resource for practitioners who must structure (and courts that must approve) financing for global enterprise groups in reorganisation. With another wave of global corporate group failures anticipated, practitioners, courts and policy makers are well served by a work describing cutting-edge advances in this field in domestic and cross-border cases.
Revisits and updates the centrality of the social construction of sexuality, especially in the age of Viagra, FSD (female sexual dysfunction) and the media saturation of sex. Leonore Tiefer is one of the foremost sexologists working in the United States today; she is a well-known and respected scholar who writes engagingly and humorously about a wide array of topics in sexuality to appeal to both students and general readers. Revised and updated with new pieces on the medicalization of sex, FSD (female sexual dysfunction) and the politics of sex, as well as classic pieces found in the original edition, such as “Am I Normal?: The Question of Sex.”
Preface Background: Sexual Desire and Fantasy Background: Sex and Values Common Charges Against Sexual Explicitness Pornography and Women Portrayals of Violence Degrading Content Alleged Ill Effects from Use Sex and Psychological Health Elicitation of Violence: The Theories Elicitation of Violence: The Evidence Portrayed Violence and Real Aggression Sexual Repressiveness and Violence Pornography and the Law Bibliography Index
Feminist positions on pornography currently break down into three rough categories. The most common one -at least, in academia -is that pornography is an expression of male culture through which women are commodified and exploited. A second view, the liberal position, combines a respect for free speech with the principle "a woman's body, a woman's right" and thus produces a defense of pornography along the lines of, "I don't approve of it, but everyone has the right to consume or produce words and images." A third view -a true defense of pornography -arises from feminists who have been labeled "pro-sex" and who argue that porn has benefits for women. Little dialogue occurs between the three positions. Anti-pornography feminists treat women who disagree as either brainwashed dupes of patriarchy or as apologists for pornographers. In the anthology Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism (1990), editor Dorchen Leidholdt claims that feminists who believe women make their own choices about pornography are spreading "a felicitous lie" (p. 131). In the same work, Sheila Jeffreys argues that "pro-sex" feminists are "eroticizing dominance and subordination." Wendy Stock accuses free speech feminists of identifying with their oppressors "much like ... concentration camp prisoners with their jailors" (p. 150). Andrea Dworkin accuses them of running a "sex protection racket" (p. 136) and maintains that no one who defends pornography can be a feminist. The liberal feminists who are personally uncomfortable with pornography tend to be intimidated into silence. Those who continue to speak out, like American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen (Defending Pornography) are ignored. For example, Catharine MacKinnon has repeatedly refused to share a stage with Strossen or any woman who defends porn. "Pro-sex" feminists -many of whom are current or former sex-workers -often respond with anger, rather than arguments.
An interview designed to assess a respondent's experience with erotic material in photographs, films, and books, during adolescence and adulthood, was administered to convicted male rapists, pedophiles, homosexuals, transsexuals, heavy pornography users, and two nondeviant contrast groups. One nondeviant group was composed of whites matched for the sex offender group; the other was composed of ghetto and middle-class blacks. Adolescent exposure to erotica was significantly less for all deviant and offender groups compared to the nondeviants. During adulthood, the sex offenders and transsexuals continued to report less exposure to erotic stimuli than controls. The homosexuals and users, however, both report greater exposure during adulthood. As adolescents, the control group, rapists, and heavy users were excited to masturbate by the erotic materials more than the other groups. As adults, the controls and rapists showed a sharp decrease in being excited to masturbate to erotica while the users' rate remained high and the homosexuals' rate rose. Less than a quarter of the respondents in any group imitated sexual behavior seen in the erotic material immediately or shortly after its viewing. The hypothesis that extent of exposure during adolescence to erotica is positively associated with the later emergence of sexual pathology is not borne out by this study. The nondeviant, non-sex-offender groups sampled had had significantly greater exposure to erotic materials during adolescence than the deviants, convicted sex offenders, or heavy adult users of pornography.
Discusses the idea of sex as a natural act and the use of naturalism in sexology. The current incarnation of naturalistic sexuality, the human sexual response cycle (HSRC) described by W. H. Masters and V. E. Johnson (1966), is examined. The HSRC is conceptually and scientifically invalid because Masters and Johnson had the HSRC in mind before research even started, and the research focus on an experienced, easily orgasmic sample limits the HSRC's universalization. The HSRC is also clinically damaging as a basis for sex therapy, because the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual adopted the physiological HSRC as the basis for sexuality diagnosis, ignoring or reducing other aspects of sexuality, such as love, culture, and motive. A post- or non-natural model for sexuality that emphasizes diversity and connects sexual feelings to other aspects of personal and social life is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This book is designed to give the reader the most up-to-date summary of the scientific research on the effects of exposure to sexually explicit images in antisocial attitudes and behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)