More than 1,000 Danish young people are indicted for sharing child pornography

Big case with far-reaching consequences

Press statement

With this case, the police has initiated the greatest effort in Danish history concerning sharing offensive content without consent. The police is indicting the young people involved according to the Danish section on sharing child pornography because the shared video clearly shows genitals and sexual activity with one or more people below the age of 18. And so, it would be interesting to find out what the young people’s intention of sharing the video has been. Likely, very few have actually wanted to share child pornography. However, it is important to remember that the consequences with the victim stay the same regardless of the intent of the violator. The police has issued a Q&A concerning this case, which says:
Q: This wouldn’t be an issue of child pornography in these cases – young people regard each other as peers. Isn’t it unfair they’d get a spot on their criminal record disclosure which does not match reality?
A: That is one reason we act so progressively. And because these pictures can quickly land in the hands of someone who’s got completely different motives. Law is law, and it denotes the material of people below the age of 18 as child pornography, and this is also reflected in the penalty. So, it’s important that young people realise it’s a serious violation which harms the people involved as well as themselves.

What we do at CfDP

At CfDP, we are optimistic that the police is choosing to run this case. We collaborate with The Police’s National Cyber Crime Centre and a wide range of child care organisations on a broad communicative effort. Although the case is severe and will be of great importance to both victims and violators, it is important that we use this event to grow wiser. We owe the young people who are not aware of the legal and moral consequences of this type of sharing to become better equipped. For several years, we have stated that too few young people know and understand the consequences of sharing offensive material.
At Centre for Digital Youth Care, we naturally use our different counselling platforms – Cyberhus and MitAssist – and our lecture/talk serices for information, debate, and conversation. You are more than welcome to contact us, should you be interested in information or teaching.

What you can do

It is completely understandable if you have questions for this specific case. It is also understandable if you would like to know what you can do if you, or your child or pupil, are involved in this case or similar cases. Please read the police’s own questions and answers which you can find HERE.
Generally, the police refers to the Criminal Prevention Council’s sites for information on consequences and law.
For young people and parents: https://dkr.dk/it/deling-af-billeder/
For professionals (teachers): https://dkr.dk/it/ulovlig-billeddeling/
The image below is an overview of the police’s recommendations and information.
Jonas Ravn / jonas@cfdp.dk / 22302091

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