Child Focus apologised to victims of paedophilia on Sunday for the shock campaign against child pornography it launched last week.
“We clearly underestimated how much victims have suffered,” Child Focus director Heidi de Pauw admitted when she appeared on television program De Zevende Dag (VRT) on Sunday.
The campaign includes a video that re-enacts a child being abused (using an adult actress). The association included it because they wanted to shock and inform political decision-makers and the public about this type of abuse and child pornography images that are circulating on the internet.
The campaign received a lot of criticism. The Association for Victims of Incest and Abuse decided to submit a complaint to the Jury of Ethical Advertising.
De Pauw once again insisted the campaign had been designed with help from victims when appearing on De Zevende Dag on Sunday, but said her association had no doubt underestimated how much suffering the images would cause other victims.
She said the campaign was only for a limited time and would be taken down soon.
The Brussels Times
