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Heidi

(58,654 posts)
Thu Sep 4, 2025, 10:32 AM Thursday

INTERPOL's terminology to avoid trivializing the sexual abuse and exploitation of children

We encourage the use of appropriate terminology to avoid trivializing the sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Crimes-against-children/Appropriate-terminology

24 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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INTERPOL's terminology to avoid trivializing the sexual abuse and exploitation of children (Original Post) Heidi Thursday OP
DURec leftstreet Thursday #1
Thank you! Heidi Thursday #7
Kick SheltieLover Thursday #2
TY electric_blue68 Thursday #3
Thank you for this very important information. niyad Thursday #4
Outside this list, there are related terms Heidi Thursday #5
Absolutely! SheltieLover Thursday #8
And it's not even that difficult to change how we discuss these issues. Heidi Thursday #9
K&R Solly Mack Thursday #6
Trivializing the sexual abuse and exploitation of children IronLionZion Thursday #10
He's sure behaving as though he's guilty Heidi Friday #21
They know he's involved somehow, so they try to make it sound less bad IronLionZion Friday #22
Typical minimizing behavior. Heidi Friday #23
Yep children are rape victims IbogaProject Thursday #11
KnR Hekate Thursday #12
Bookmarking Hekate Thursday #13
Thank you for this important information Wild blueberry Thursday #14
Thank you! Heidi Thursday #19
Very important. Thank you for posting. LoisB Thursday #15
Thank you Heidi Friday #20
Here's the recommended terminology WestMichRad Thursday #16
Thank you for posting the word-for-word INTERPOL recommended terms. Heidi Friday #24
All credit to our beloved niyad Heidi Thursday #17
Thank you for this! chowder66 Thursday #18

Heidi

(58,654 posts)
5. Outside this list, there are related terms
Thu Sep 4, 2025, 10:48 AM
Thursday

that I consider highly inappropriate and likely hurtful, and most of them imply that a child is “having sex” with adults. In these cases, children aren’t “having sex” with adults; they’re being sexually abused and/or exploited. Cannot wait for someone to call us out as the “language Gestapo,” because

Heidi

(58,654 posts)
9. And it's not even that difficult to change how we discuss these issues.
Thu Sep 4, 2025, 11:32 AM
Thursday

Victims’ and survivors’ right to respect and dignity are infinitely more important than any individual’s or group’s difficulty to adjust. Same with respecting people’s pronouns, not dead-naming our trans friends/family, and not using our indigenous friends’/family member’s settler names. “Woke” just means considerate, in my book—and it’s not a dirty word.

IronLionZion

(49,806 posts)
10. Trivializing the sexual abuse and exploitation of children
Thu Sep 4, 2025, 11:50 AM
Thursday

is practically the GOP platform when their MAGA hero is so obviously guilty.

Heidi

(58,654 posts)
23. Typical minimizing behavior.
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 10:42 AM
Friday

Like, “He might be a Lying Loser, but he’s OUR Lying Loser and he wouldn’t lie about *that*.”

WestMichRad

(2,576 posts)
16. Here's the recommended terminology
Thu Sep 4, 2025, 12:46 PM
Thursday

First are Terms to be used with caution, or avoided completely; then follows the Recommended term for each item.

(Avoid)- Child pornography
(Recommended)- Child sexual abuse material

(Avoid)- Child sex tourism
(Recommended)- Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism

(Avoid)- Child sex tourist
(R)- Travelling perpetrators of child sexual offences

(Avoid)- Child prostitution
(R)- Exploitation of children in/for prostitution

(Avoid)- Child prostitute, child sex worker (R)- Victim of sexual exploitation

(Avoid)- Customer, client, John
(R)- Abuser, child sex offender

(Avoid)- Webcam child sex tourism / webcam child sex abuse
(R)- Live online child sexual abuse

Heidi

(58,654 posts)
24. Thank you for posting the word-for-word INTERPOL recommended terms.
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 10:52 AM
Friday

I was posting from my phone and the preview came out all wonky when I tried to copy and paste, so I only included the link in the OP.

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