Having evaluated from the international perspective, commercial sexual exploitation of children spread over the last decade. The well-operating market of children sexual services has developed in both rich and poor European countries. It is being stated that prostitution and pornography of children are widely spread not only in South East Asia, but also intensive development of pornography industry as well as the growing need in children sexual services in the European countries are being noticed.

Production and distribution technologies of pornography are being ore and more developed and improved and therefore it is very difficult to observe and to control. Computer hardware and software themselves are developing at a high speed; therefore a possibility to apply new technologies for the purposes of violence becomes almost unlimited. A violator with the help of computer can manipulate, transmit not only modified, but also created “children pornography” pictures, where it is difficult to guess whether they are pictures of real children, or if they are pictures created by computer graphics. It is possible to collect and store all the information in the computer in the way it would be difficult to find it and to recognize it.

There are around 3 million such people around the world. The research results in the USA indicated that those who distribute children pornography earn at least around 1 billion dollars of profit per year.

The report of USA State Department of the year of 2001, which analyses cases of sales of people in the world, specifies that Lithuania is the source of sales of people; it is also a transit country, as well as the country in to which people are being sold by force. It is assumed that out of all working prostitutes in Lithuania from 20 to 50 percent is under age that are one or the other way involved into pornography business. The report of UNICEF of year of 2001 notices that some children who live in children care homes, from 10 to 12 years old were used for creating children pornography.

Children pornography – it is openly portrayed sexual actions, involving children. They can be displayed in any visual or printed form. This is clearly sexual behavior, revealing real or imitated sexual relations, masturbating, sadistic or masochistic violence or voluptuous demonstration of genitals or sex areas. This is a photo of real location of crime, showing a real sexual violence of a child. In some cases the child is not necessarily naked in order to be revealed and included into this definition.

But it should not be forgotten, that some very visual pictures of children, despite context and usage, they will never be considered children pornography. These are innocent:

• Family photos,
• Pieces of art,
• Medical photos.

People who use computers for the distribution of children pornography, could be divided in to two large groups:

Amateurs criminals preferring pornography

Typical representative – a grown up, who recently found out and learnt how to find with the help of computer pornographic pictures, or that is a criminal, who uses pornographic pictures for the purpose of profit. Amateur could be detected, but his behavior is not stable and long lasting or forecast. Most probably it is 1 – persons having no special sexual orientation, however, having various distorted sexual interests or 2 – pedophiles, especially interested in children pornography. The main difference between those two categories is that persons having some distorted sexual interests will collect pornographic pictures oriented towards such perversions, whereas pedophiles will collect pornographic material related with the pictures of children. Moreover, persons preferring pornography are not tended to torturing of juvenile, especially under the age before the puberty.

Pedophile types:

1. Pedophiles, which collect, but are not directly involved into children sexual exploitation.
2. Pedophiles, which collect, and are directly involved into children sexual exploitation, but they are hiding their activity, fearing that it will become public. It is characteristic of them, that they both collect pornographic material from other sources and also create them themselves.
3. Pedophiles, which share with others their collected pornographic material and sexual activity without aiming to make profit out of it.
4. Pedophiles, which produce, reproduce and distribute children pornography, sell it, execute children’s violation and make financial profit out of it. Other “criminals” could be considered journalists, who believe that their journalistic research works and descriptions are purely daily work, which does no harm to anyone and that they are not “any dirty tricks”. Another category of “criminals” – single dealers offering services to crime investigators, believing, that their “research” is of great importance and usefulness to legal officials.

The attention should be paid, that not all pornography collectors torture children and not all, who physically insult, collect children pornography things. Not all the children reflected in children pornography where insulted sexually. E.g. some of the ones being photographed even did not understand, what pornography is about, whereas some were cheated and allowed themselves to be photographed naked. However, taking into consideration, how this material was used, it could be stated that they all were exploited. For this reason even those, who “only” get and collect children pornography, that was produced by others, plays a certain role in the sexual exploitation even in the case, when they did not torture the child physically. In fact there are groups not single persons, who exploit children. Children pornography is often related to a certain pedophile network, which is of several kinds:

• Network consisting of one adult and a group of children, that are exploited by that adult person, however, the person does not exchange the children with other persons and they do not provide their collected pornography material to others;
• Networks being a well organized structure, searching for relations, producing pornography material and exchanging with other persons;
• Transitional model of the first two.

Usage fields of children pornography. According to the data provided by the scientists, there are different reasons indicated, why pedophiles collect such material. They:

• Are trying to retain, strengthen the sudden and invincible sexual fantasies towards children;
• By behaving so they are trying to establish and implement their sexual considerations.
• Are trying to reduce the unwillingness of the child to participate in the sexual activity;
• It is a means to blackmail the child, aiming to prolong the relationship with him and to persuade him not to tell anybody the whole truth;
• Pictures and videotapes are used by pedophiles as souvenirs or trophies, that are being exchanged;
• Finally, they get commercial profit from distribution, reproduction and production of it.

Victims. There is no exact data, how many children are being exploited. It is difficult to define the percentage of boys and girls. We could define several groups of children, falling into children pornography business. These are the following:
1. Runaway children. They tend to do crimes and together with such crime they get involved into pornography. It also becomes a source of living. The number of children attending the school is decreasing. It decreased from 10-30% in the period of 1989-1999 in different Eastern European states. It is estimated that there are 75 000 children in Eastern Europe, that were one or other way on sale for the sex purpose. The age of children being involved into the sex industry starts from 9 years. These children often provide sex services not for the money, but exchanging into expensive clothes, cosmetics, audio-video sets.

2. Children who are being exploited by their own parents or adults from the closest environment. They were mainly children under puberty.
3. Children with the usage psychology. Modern children often get themselves involved into sex business, hoping to earn easily much money in a short time. This is due to the fact that children notice, that members of society value some expensive products, exclusive goods and services, therefore even in the developed countries it is noticed, that the number of minors, who represent middle class, well supported, still earn additional income by providing sex services, is increasing.
In cases of children pornography law breakers control their victims by seducing them with the attention, affection, kindness and presents as long as it reduces watchfulness of the victim, enjoys confidence. As victims usually do not consider themselves as victims, they come back to their seducers once again by their own will. The law breakers may treat the child much better than any other person; therefore, therefore the child may not consider oneself as a victim as long as the criminal does not do the psychological harm to the child. Many of the children, especially the ones who had experienced the art of seduction, often sell sex for attention, attraction and presents, are lost regarding their sexuality and feelings, are confused and do not feel shame for their actions, tell about torture in a socially acceptable way, reduce to minimum their responsibility and increase to maximum the responsibility of seducer, neglects or talks too well about their torturing. Often it is difficult to say, if the sexual relation between the child and the adult is of commercial nature. Both parties may be related by a complicated relationship, where the child, e.g. may participate in the activities of the sexual nature or be a model for pornographic photos, but at the same time the child may provide non-sexual services for their clients – clean the house and to get non-financial reward, such as shelter, food, clothes and employment. It was determined, that sensitive to the psychic violence children, are the children living in the streets or children houses, refugee acceptance centers, such children get involved into prostitution for the sense of safety, not for the financial benefit. However, the children, the violation of whom is of non-commercial nature, i.e. they are exploited by the people close to them, are being involved to participate in sexual actions by using financial means, giving them money, etc.

Investigation. The investigation of the crimes related to children pornography is complex and requires many technical as well as other resources. Unfortunately, institutions performing the investigation do not have sufficient technical possibilities. It is clear that the majority of pornography distributors do not work free of charge. There are no idealists among them. The majority of pedophiles are prepared to pay much money for pornographic videotapes or photos. It is rather difficult to estimate the financial size of such market, but judging from all, the annual turnover from children pornography reaches hundreds of millions, or maybe even billions of dollars. Distributors of internet children pornography in fact use internet as simply means of advertising: searching here for the potential clients, they are selected and afterwards they are offered pay material, e.g. video tapes or compact discs with photos. While using internet it is easy to remain unknown or hide the crime means. Another threat – not only collected, distributed pornography, but also children involved into sex business and through internet websites, that are used not only for the search of children, but also for the sales, exchanging with others, as well as acquire children pornography. Pedophiles often use internet chat services to get into contact with children, and very often they pretend being children. The second step – the persuasion of the child to change from common internet chat service into private correspondence of two people and then the pedophile begins to encourage the child to become a model for pornographic photos, aims and finds out the child’s e-mail or even meet in the reality. Such communication with children is not only distributed, but for this purpose the cameras are being used as well as SMS via mobile phones.

There are no effective methods to fight with the distributors of pedophile pornography. Such persons are usually trying not to be found and even have paid security consultants. So only the clients of criminals, but not pornography distributors may easily become the target of investigators. To find the creators of pedophile films or photos is absolutely impossible. Therefore, it should be admitted that the situation is almost tragic: despite the active fight with pedophilia in the internet. It is not yet possible to control the criminal activity. The Report Of USA State Department On The Situation Of Human Rights In The World States, it was stated that Lithuania has not adopted criminal laws, that would prevent children pornography or sex tourism.