As child sexual abuse is experiencing unprecedented spread on the Internet, “Centrs Dardedze” in cooperation with the Finnish organization “Protect Children” is introducing an anonymous online self-help program “ReDirection” in Latvia, which aims to help people reduce their tendency to search for and view child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Currently, there is a massive spread of child sexual abuse material in the world. According to the latest data, approximately 1 in 15 children (6.7%) or approximately five million children in Western Europe have experienced sexual abuse, and every fifth child has encountered sexual communication or requests online. Behind every image or video is a real child who is repeatedly traumatized every time this content is viewed or forwarded.
“We have a duty to do everything we can to protect children from the risks of sexual exploitation, and every person who stops viewing or sharing child sexual exploitation material means one less child victimized. We cannot rely on educating children, parents or professionals alone to prevent it. We also need to think about the responsibility of the perpetrator – both by detecting crimes and helping to prevent them. The goal of the program is to reduce the risks of child sexual abuse by providing a safe and anonymous opportunity to change one’s behavior before a crime occurs,” explains Agnese Sladzevska, board member of Centrs Dardedze.
The ReDirection Program is an anonymous, online self-help program based on the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach. The program is anonymous – users are not identified, IP data or personal information is not collected. The program provides self-help information and evidence-based exercises that help you understand your thoughts and behaviors, as well as learn ways to stop harmful behavior. Currently, the platform, which is available in 5 languages, has more than 600 users visiting it every day.
“The ReDirection Program forms a vital part of Protect Children’s holistic, research based child protection work. If we are able to prevent even one crime of sexual violence against a child, we have succeeded in making a difference” states Protect Children’s Executive Director, Psychotherapist, Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen.
The content of the “ReDirection” program is based on innovative research conducted on the dark web, directly addressing people who are looking for child sexual abuse material. Since 2020, more than 100,000 people have participated in the surveys. The study shows that many CSAM users are young: 2 out of 3 CSAM users are young men aged 18 to 24, and 70% first saw such content when they were still children. It is also important that many users want to stop watching this material and are trying to change their behavior – every second wants to stop watching such content and 62% have tried to change their behavior. It is important to realize that there is a connection between watching child sexual abuse material and real-life child sexual abuse, which is why it is even more important to stop it.
“This program is an important step in proactively reducing the risks of child sexual abuse in Latvian society. It can help people who feel the urge to watch child sexual abuse material to learn healthier behavioral patterns and begin to free themselves from this addiction that is harmful to their deepest selves. Step by step, this self-help program explains the necessary actions so that a person can change their life in a better, ethical direction. It is worth starting!” says Artūrs Utināns, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assistant professor at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at Riga Stradiņš University.
The program is intended for people who have thoughts or an urge to search for child sexual abuse material, and can also be helpful as an additional form of therapy for people who have already faced the law for their crimes against children, so that they do not continue their harmful behavior.
The “ReDirection” program was developed by the Finnish non-governmental organization “Protect Children”, and is being implemented in Latvia by “Centrs Dardedze”. The self-help program in Latvian is available here: https://latvia.redirectionprogram.com/