Fear of images

In a former Newsletter, we presented articles about 'Fear of Photos'. There is more to tell. 

Old ladies

Apology to pool photo pensioners

23 July 2008, BBC News, UK

A council has apologised to two women after a worker ordered them to stop photographing a deserted paddling pool over fears about child protection.
[...]
Betty Robinson, 82, and Brenda Bennett, 69, were taking pictures when they were ordered to stop by a female worker.
[...]
"I said is it because we might be paedophiles? There were no children in the pool but she pointed to a man and boys in the distance and said we could come back later at 6pm when the park was closed.

"We are just a couple of old ladies who wouldn't hurt children and we are certainly not paedophiles."

Mike Harris, head of leisure and culture at Southampton City Council, said in a statement: 

"[...] We have to walk a fine line between protecting the children who use this popular paddling pool and the interests of the community as a whole. A lot of people are more concerned about the safety of their children these days so it is appropriate that our staff are aware of who is taking photos."

Angry mob

Man chased off Croydon tram by angry mob after taking photo of child

03-August-2008, This is Croydon Today, UK

A man was chased from a tram by an angry mob, punched in the face and left with a broken jaw after passengers thought he took a photo of two children. The mini-riot broke out at Waddon Marsh tram stop when Dimitri Petrov, in his early 20s, was called a paedophile after taking a photo. After he was chased on to the track he was punched by Terrence Crawford, 18, who broke his jaw.
[...]
He said: "There were a couple of children on board and some passengers seemed to think he had taken a picture of one of them on his mobile. He later admitted he had taken a picture of a child. The word 'paedophile' was bandied about."
A number of youths started to hit him as he was chased off the tram at Waddon Marsh.

Gymnastics

Parents warned on gymnastic photos

Marc Horne, 03 August 2008, Scotland on Sunday 

Fear of paedophiles on the internet has prompted Scots sports chiefs to warn parents and coaches not to photograph young athletes in their gym gear. Controversial new advice from governing body Scottish Gymnastics says photographs of youngsters should only be taken if they are wearing tracksuits.

The child protection guidelines are drawn up to prevent "unsuitable images" appearing on the internet“ also suggest parents should destroy existing photographs showing children in a "potentially provocative" pose.
[...] 
Others claim it is a needless overreaction that will do little more than help spread fear.
[... ... ...]

Professor Frank Furedi, a sociologist with the University of Kent, believes the growing trend of restricting photographs of children at public events is unnecessary and counter-productive. 
The author of Paranoid Parenting said: 

"The assumption that pictures represent a significant threat to children has acquired a fantasy-like grotesque character. We rarely dare ask the question: what possible harm can come from taking pictures of children? Dark hints about the threat of evil networks of paedophiles are sufficient to corrode common sense.

"Tragically, what the dramatisation and criminalisation of the act of photographing children reveals is a culture that regards virtually every childhood experience from the standpoint of a paedophile. The default position is to always expect the worst."

Fairy children

Photographer prosecuted for fairy 'child porn'

9th August 2008, Yorkshire Post, UK 

A "naive" photographer employed by parents to take pictures of their young daughters to turn into images of fairies has been prosecuted because the photos fell under the definition of child porn.
Under the legislation, the images of the two girls - aged 10 and 12 - were classed as level one child pornography, despite the fact their parents had asked for the pictures to be taken and were even present at photo shoots.

Dr Marcus Jonathan Angus Phillips, a keen photographer and administrator at Sheffield University, was hauled before the courts after "concerned" staff at a branch of Bonusprint reported his pictures to the NSPCC.

At Sheffield Crown Court yesterday Judge Lawler QC [...] sentenced the 38-year-old, to a 150-hour community service order [...] The judge added: 

"What is clear is that you had no base motive, no sexual motive and there was not any question of deriving sexual gratification from what you were doing."

[...]
Bonusprint staff were concerned by images which showed the girls topless and on September 12 last year Phillips's computer was seized by police. [...]

Disturbing images

December 29, 2006, Wordpress.com 

"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation. - Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

Perry [... is] a single, 31-year-old male kindergarten teacher in Oakland County, Michigan. [...]
What was shown in the photos and videos seized from Perry's home? Certainly not child porn. The photos were mostly of Perry's half brothers and of Perry's students at school and on school field trips.
Perry was apparently the unofficial photographer for school events and field trips. The videos, and this is where it gets real juicy, were of such children's staples as The Lion King, Harry Potter, and Little House on the Prairie. The prosecution has stated that the last, Little House on the Prairie, constitutes "non-pornographic erotica" for pedophiles.
[...]
An Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor, Andrea Dean, reportedly described these images as "very disturbing". 
[...]
In the Perry case, the prosecution wanted to present innocent photos and videos as evidence of the accused being a pedophile. [...]

No cameras in playgrounds

11/09/08, Limerick Post 

[...] 
Westbury-based Labour Cllr. Pascal Fitzgerald, said the problem of children being approached by strangers outside schools after school hours, needs to be monitored as there is growing concern that unknown paedophiles could be stalking them. His recommendations for the bye-laws follows on a decision by Kerry County Council to introduce bye-laws.

According to the Kerry bye-laws only family members will be able to take photographs of children in Kerry playgrounds. Video cameras, mobile phone cameras and standard cameras can now only be operated by family members in the playground. Adults will not be allowed into a playground area unless accompanied by a child.

Kerry County Councillors voted unanimously to adopt the new bye-laws [....].

Fitzgerald said [...] 

"Schools should be wary of mobile phones in particular, as they are the same as a camera. Children shouldn't be allowed to use them during school time," he concluded.

Photos of a school

Man snapping pictures outside school caught after foot chase

Jim Patten, Eagle Tribune, October 23, 2008 

A Wakefield man claimed he was standing outside a local school snapping photos of students for a documentary, but after a foot chase through backyards [...]. 
"We don't know what his intention and purpose was around the school and the kids," said police Lt. James Hashem.
[...] 
Police received a flood of 911 calls from parents and soon the school called. A gym teacher tried to talk to Olivio, who fled toward the high school, police said.
Camenker said Olivio realized he was at the wrong school and jogged over to the high school to get the picture.
[...]
He said a police officer there at the high school called him a pedophile or child molester as he was walking away. Some kids in the area had heard the officer's comment and began chasing him on foot, and at one point assaulted him, Camenker said. Camenker said Olivio also was chased by students in a car.
[...] 
"He was walking back to his car and the cops were there and handcuffed him," Camenker said.
[...]
Olivio was charged with disorderly conduct.

Spying threat

Parents fear units pose spying threat to Wynnum school

Alison Sandy, December 11, 2008, Courier Mail, Australia

The height of a proposed high-rise development has been slashed because parents fear pedophiles will be able to spy on children from the top storeys. The Brisbane City Council has agreed to reduce building heights around the Guardian Angels Primary School in Wynnum - but parents are still wary.

New developments bordering the school will be limited to five storeys instead of the eight originally proposed following concerns that "highrise buildings will provide opportunity for residents to observe, photograph and film children".

Holiday photos

Warning over kids' holiday photos on internet

Catherine Woulfe, - Sunday Star Times, New Zealand,  04 January 2009

Experts are warning parents not to put holiday snaps of their children online because they could end up in a child porn collection.

NetSafe spokesperson Lee Chisholm says authorities have found holiday photographs of children, pulled off the internet, in collections of child abuse images.

And Auckland psychologist Nathan Gaunt, an expert in online sex abuse and pornography, says some men who view child abuse images are actively trawling the internet for "child-next-door images".

"There has definitely been huge interest in 'normal' images of children," Gault says. "There are people out there who do have an interest in school websites, or holiday snaps. These pictures are very real to people, so of course people who have a sexual interest in images of children find that quite interesting," he says.

Gaunt and Chisholm are calling for parents to think twice before putting any photographs of their children online, particularly summertime shots where children are naked or in swimming togs.

"But then again, pictures of children in school uniforms, [or] in just everyday clothing, can be attractive to some people," Gaunt says.

[... ...] 

Check there are no identifying details in the photo or the site it's going on. Check for things such as road signs, school uniform badges, certificates, buildings in the background, or car number plates. 
[...]

Regularly check the photo galleries on your child's school website, and their sports club websites. Be particularly wary of photos in which children are wearing gymnastics or swimming costumes. If you are concerned, ask the school/club to remove the picture.