THE SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND HAS TODAY RESOLVED TO REJECT AND PROTEST THE USE OF THE TERM “CHILD PORNOGRAPHY” IN THE MEDIA AT LARGE.

Nationwide, New Zealand, 15 May 2022

It is repugnant to survivors of child sexual abuse to see a term associated with a sex
industry, that implicates helpless and innocent children as if in some way they were
complicit participants in the production of this illicit material.

SNAP Aotearoa National Leader Dr. Christopher Longhurst said today:

“We are calling on all media to adopt terminology, hopefully consistently, across
international lines, that makes it very clear that a heinous and abusive crime has
been committed. Children do not have the legal or moral capacity to consent as
performers in pornography, and the term “child pornography” must not be used.”
Terms such as “child sexual exploitation material,” or where there is no sexual content,
“child exploitation material” are much preferred phrases to describe this sexual abuse,
and other abuse, recorded in any form of multimedia, whether video, audio, still
photograph, or print media."

It is unacceptable to refer to child sexual abuse multimedia as a product, a pornographic
commodity and SNAP Aotearoa calls upon all news media worldwide to adopt a
standard terminology which does not add this despicable label to the already awful
impact for victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in Aotearoa New Zealand
Email: [email protected]
Phone: New Zealand +64223440496