the iwf: what are the viewers thinking?

## the iwf: what are the viewers thinking?

#### 8 May 2020
from iwf, part of celibate pedophiles

### ethan edwards

| 3 of 4. Looking at the IWF's possible attitudes to the intentions of viewers of CSEM. This item is part of a special series of posts. The Internet Watch Foundation is a key organisation setting standards on how CSEM on the internet is handled, as well as co-ordinating detection and removal activity. What do their statements and practices imply about what they implicitly believe about CSEM? Four posts from the Celibate Pedophiles blog explore this. Ethan Edwards is the co-founder of Virtuous Pedophiles. Blog posts reflect his personal views, and are not statements from the organization. Implicit in the working model of [IWF](https://www.iwf.org.uk/) is that not all kinds of viewing of CSEM are harmful. In particular, it is just assumed that when their analysts view the material, that does not harm the children. This means that the intention of the person doing the viewing is a vital part of its harm.The actual reaction of the analysts is of interest. Women in particular typically get some sexual arousal from viewing any sexual situation at all. We would expect men to have some when viewing images of girls who are well into puberty. Perhaps analysts who feel such reactions strongly are told this is not the job for them. It would be intriguing to know if dealing with more modest reactions is part of the counseling process, or whether the IWF's approach to this particular problem is blanket denial. Perhaps the key to the "no harm" assumption is that they are not watching it intending to get sexual arousal, and any such incidental arousal doesn't contribute to harm. So what is the intention of a person who seeks out and views a CSEM image? I have an idea as to what case leaps to mind: a man who is sexually aroused by the abuse, who is glad it happened and was recorded for him to look at, who wishes he could have been there and doing it himself, and who feels nothing but satisfaction from the experience of masturbating to the image. In fact, the motivations and experiences of those who view cover a wide range, and I present some evidence below that the stark image I painted is actually rare. Some people have reported viewing such images as an attempt to deal with their own childhood sex abuse. Some might view it with no arousal at all, but horror and sympathy at the plight of the child. But in fact, it's a safe bet that the vast majority of those who view the images do so because they find it sexually arousing to do so. Virtuous Pedophiles (of which I am co-founder) has an online support group for pedophiles who are determined never to act sexually with a child, and are against trying to change society to make adult-child sex legal or accepted. We do not require that they never look at CSEM, though we do not allow members who imply they are proud of their viewing. We do not allow admissions of illegal behavior, so we can't be sure about any individual, but it seems like many do sometimes view it. They try not to but they do. I decided to start a poll of Virtuous Pedophiles members to find out what they are thinking. Among those who have never seen CSEM, nearly 90% say they feel really bad about anyone getting sexual pleasure from a child's abuse. Among those who have seen it, over half choose that very same option. They feel bad about what they have done. Under 4% think it is justifiable to make children suffer for their sexual satisfaction. Men who have been caught and are in legal trouble for CSEM viewing (quoted in one of the IWF podcasts) have a strong incentive to voice such views. Those who respond to our poll, in contrast, are giving anonymous replies with no incentive to lie. Now, VP members may not be representative of all those who view CSEM, but there is a significant group of pedophile viewers who think of CSEM and the children in it the same way as the ordinary person. About the author: Ethan Edwards is a pseudonym. I am a pedophile, always celibate, and I have never seen child pornography. My attraction is strongest to girls around 4 years old, but I am also attracted to girls and women up through their 30s or beyond. Now in my late 60s, I'm divorced and living alone. I was married for over 10 years and was heavily involved with raising my 3 daughters. For most of my career I was a successful software engineer. I am very unusual for a pedophile in that I didn't realize that I was one until I was in my 50s—but it was there all along. I am angry that we all must remain silent or risk losing everything. That was my mindset when I co-founded Virtuous Pedophiles in 2012. I soon learned of the the terror of the typical pedophile who realizes as a teenager that his attraction isn't going to go away, who has nowhere to turn for help. The injustice I am most passionate about is the harsh legal penalties imposed on pedophiles who passively view illegal images of children. I stepped down from my role as a director of Virtuous Pedophiles early in 2024 and am delighted to pass the mantle on to a younger generation. This content was taken from Ethan's longstanding blog, Celibate Pedophiles. Some of the titles and taglines have been edited for their inclusion at thepword. You can see an earlier version of the blog at the wayback machine. |

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tags for this item

ethics of images50

other relevant items

other relevant items

the iwf: comparing harm from viewing to other harms |  | the iwf: pixels from a crime scene |  | the iwf: young teens
ethan edwards 4 of 4. Considering narratives from the IWF about whether types of harm from CSEM can be different. |  | ethan edwards 1 of 4. A review of the Pixels from a Crime Scene podcast from the Internet Watch Foundation. |  | ethan edwards 2 of 4. Looking at the issue of self-made images of teens in the light of IWF statements.

the iwf: comparing harm from viewing to other harms ethan edwards 4 of 4. Considering narratives from the IWF about whether types of harm from CSEM can be different.
the iwf: pixels from a crime scene ethan edwards 1 of 4. A review of the Pixels from a Crime Scene podcast from the Internet Watch Foundation.
the iwf: young teens ethan edwards 2 of 4. Looking at the issue of self-made images of teens in the light of IWF statements.