Sexual, physical and psychological aggression linked to new means of communication: Child pornography, cyber-grooming and cyber-bullying

New means of communication have made it easier to communicate worldwide. They enable contact in real time, irrespective of distance and borders. However, these new means of communication have been diverted from their primary use to feed deviant fantasies or to satisfy a need of superiority. There are particular situations that can directly affect people: child pornography, grooming and cyber-bullying. The Internet is the main tool that is used in these three situations. However, the extensive use of cell phones should not be overlooked. In all three situations, the essential factors that explain the growth of offences are virtual aspects of communication and anonymity. Apart from child pornography, the main victims of cyber-grooming and cyber-bullying are adolescents, as, by definition, the victim must be able to establish virtual contact with an aggressor and thus have the capacity to master telecommunication tools. Likewise, the appeal of these tools for adolescents inevitably leads to their deviant use by other young people who are not always aware of the danger of virtual contacts and do not always recognize the impact of bullying. Criminal and victim profiles have been identified. Dematerialized aspect of these offences makes it difficult to apprehend the perpetrators. States must take steps to deal with cyber-criminality. New methods need to be set up to apprehend the perpetrators and protect the victims. © 2013 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.