USA - Supreme Court to evaluate liability for viewers of child porn; SNAP responds
Statement by Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director, 314-862-7688 [email protected]
The US Supreme Court will soon hear an unusual child pornography case. We disagree with the Justice Department when they say $3.4 million is too much to award to a victim of this heinous crime. Given how widespread and devastating child sex crimes are, and how tough it is to catch and convict predators, we as a society must do more to deter these crimes in the first place.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/us/evaluating-the-liability-of-viewers-of-child-pornography.html
It’s important to remember that sexual violence is often used in the making of these images. Kids are often raped and sodomized – sometimes violently and always hurtfully- to make these photos.
Those who download and view these degrading photos of kids being sexually exploited should pay.
The financial awards should both help victims deal with the horrific damage they suffer and deter future crimes. We must make people think twice before they create, search for or download child porn. We must do what we can to dry up the market for child porn, however daunting that goal may seem. If adults can’t make money from it maybe fewer kids will be hurt.
Victims of child porn must find it very hard to achieve any kind of closure, knowing that there may be thousands of people looking at these disgusting photos for years and years. We ache for them and applaud those who are using the courts to seek justice, expose predators and discourage crimes.
It’s disingenuous for criminals to try to shift the blame for the pain their victims’ experience, claiming that perhaps other factors contribute to their suffering. Perpetrators have made money producing and selling the images. So it’s self-serving for them to try to prevent victims from attaining some measure of healing and prevention.
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director