#Child sex dolls are horrifyingbut some say they prevent abuse

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Child sex dolls are horrifyingbut some say they prevent abuse

BY TRACY CLARK-FLORY

The very idea of a child sex dolla life-size, anatomically correct figure typically modeled after a little girltends to evokeabject horror. But earlier this week, a Finnish non-profit that hasspent several decades promoting sexual well being suggested that these disturbing littledollsmight actually help to protect children from abuse.

Tommi Paalanen, executive director of the Sexpo Foundation, argued that pedophiles can be prevented from abusing kidsif given an acceptable channel for their desiresand that sex dolls are one such channel.

A person who uses a lot of money and effort to purchase the doll has already made the decision that he wants to carry out the sexual tendency, he wrote in a statement, according to a translation. Therefore, it is important that the customs authorities or others concerned about the sex dolls actors do not hamper their availability.

The statement, which quickly and inevitably garnered tabloid headlines, came following news of an uptick in Norway of imports of child sex dolls from Hong Kong. Police there have seized 21 such dolls since October and warn that the buyersmen between the ages of 18 and 60, some of whom had already been convicted of child abusemay pose a risk of committing abuses against children in the future.It isnt just Norway and Finland that are grappling with this issuemen in Canada and Australia are currently on trial or being investigated forallegedly purchasing child sex dolls.

Both Canada and Australia outlaw thedolls, but they might, theoretically, be legal in the United States. The Supreme Court hasrecognizedthe difference between actual and fake child porn and, in 2003, Congresspassed a lawthat criminalizes computer-generated kiddie porn, but only if it is, or appears to be, virtually indistinguishable from that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.The question, especially as technology makes it possibleto create increasingly lifelike child replicas, is whether these dolls cause harm or prevent it.

The Sexpo Foundation is hardly the first to suggest thatits the latter. Milton Diamond, a sex researcher andprofessor emeritus atthe University of Hawaii at Mnoa, has long argued that simulated child pornographymeaning pornographic content that features computer-generated images instead of footage of real childrencan prevent child abuse. In 2010, he published a study finding that during a period inthe Czech Republic when child pornography was not illegal, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of child sex abuse. Studies have found similar evidencein Denmark and Japan.From that, he argues, we can conclude that child sex dolls would have a similar effect.

I think that what might do is encourage masturbation by the pedophile, he said. I think what they would do is substitute the dollwhatever engagement theywould have withthe doll instead of dealing with real kids.

Its similar to anargument made by Shin Takagi, a self-described pedophile based in Japanwho sells child-like sex dolls. As he told The Atlantic last year,We should accept that there is no way to change someones fetishes. I am helping people express their desires, legally and ethically. Its not worth living if you have to live with repressed desire.

But some, including criminologists and psychologists, argue that there is reason to believe that these dolls might actually fanpedophilic desires.Peter Collins, a forensic psychiatristwho is testifying inthe Canadian child sex doll case, has told officialsthatwhen it comes to child porn, high-risk pedophiles can become incited bythe imagery, satiated bythe imagery or act outwhen they are experiencing stress intheir life, and argued that the dolls areequivalent to child porn.

In otherwords, the dollscould either incite or satiate.

Most experts, however, say we simply dont know one way or the other. James Cantor, a clinical psychologistand editor-in-chief ofthe academic journalSexual Abuse,said, It is very possible that using child sex dolls could reduce someones risk of harming an actual child, but I am not aware of any such study actually having been conducted, he said. Importantly, the reverse is also true: There is no evidence that using child sex dolls causes any increase in risk of molesting a real child.

Its possible that the truth is somewhere in between. Michael Seto, aforensic psychologistwho studies pedophilia, sexual offendingand child pornography, suggests that, similar to what research is revealing to us about the impact of pornography, it might be that it dependsentirely on the person. For some individuals with pedophilia, access to child sex dolls or fictional child pornography might be a safe outlet for their sexual desires, which otherwise cannot be expressed legally. This might further reduce their likelihood of sexually offending against children, he said. For others, though, child sex dolls or fictional pornography might be an incitement, stirring up sexual feelings that lead to offending.

FredBerlin,apsychiatrist who specializes in sexual disorders at Johns Hopkins, similarly says there isa total paucity of research in this area, but is skeptical of claims that child sex dolls could act as effectivedeterrents.Its notgoing to be a cure for the problem, he said, adding that he hopes people dont turn to the dolls as analternative to psychiatric treatment.

Research has shown that the majority of those who watch child pornography, without any prior child abuseoffenses, do not go on to commit hands-on sexual crimesagainst children (or, at least, to be chargedfor it). But as Berlin points out, that doesnt mean that child porn ispreventativeit might just be that most previously non-offending people who are drawn to that material are not compelled to commit a hands-on offense. It couldbe the same with child sex dolls, but we justhave no idea.

Given the lack of evidence of child sexdolls negative impact, Cantor argues there is no reason to criminalize them. Even when a law tries to target a thought crime its because of the fear that that thought will lead to overt action, he said. But because theres no evidence that masturbation fantasies cause real-world crimes, prosecuting sex doll use is evencrazierthan is prosecuting thought-crimes.

We know so little about whether these dolls help or hurtbecause, for the most part, thetopic is radioactive. Studying the impact of child sex dolls, or even simulated child porn, not only raiseslegal and ethical issues for researchers, but perhaps most importantly, it is profoundly controversialon the level of outraged international tabloid headlines. What university wants to put its name behind something that will end up asoutrage fodder inThe Daily Mail? As Seto puts it, Imagine trying to apply for funding.

The irony is that, while all thisreticence about this topic ostensibly arises from concern forchildren, itmight actually have the effect of hurting them. We need research to figure this out, said Seto. My hope is that people can get past their emotional reactions to the idea of child sex dolls or fictional child pornography, in the hope that we might find an option that helps people with pedophilia and makes children safer.

Cantor agrees.Despite the great potential to reduce sexual offenses even before one occurs, there hasnt been anyone stepping up, he said. Peoples aversion to this topic is stopping us from improving child protection efforts.

This story originally appeared on Vocativ and has been republished with permission.

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