Pornographic photos and videos are usually irrefutable evidence that child abuse has occurred. Pornography involving children is exploitation and the abuse of power over the object of the pornography, and even over children who have been obliged or seduced into watching it. It is often related to the trafficking of children, because children are trafficked from one country to another to be used for the making of child pornography.

There are vast amounts of child pornographic images available on the Internet. This is because the Internet has made it possible to multiply images without limit, and to transfer them with ease. The Internet has turned the collection of child pornography into a huge cottage industry.

Photos of child abuse sometimes come in numbered series to facilitate identification and collection. The collectors try to fill in series of photos. In some recent photos, the real name of the child was given. Photos can also be part of a narrative, with each new photo moving the story along.

Child pornography helps abusers rationalize their desire for children. Often the children are made to look smiling and compliant, as if they are enjoying the experience.

For the child involved, there are long-term consequences of child pornography. Whether or not the individual who created the pornography is prosecuted, once a pornographic picture is in the public domain it is likely to continue to be distributed and may haunt that child forever.

Child pornography also may be used as a tool to lower a child’s inhibitions and, by showing other children in pornographic poses, entice that child into compromising situations.

The link between mere possession of child pornography and abuse of children is strong. It has been suggested that a large number of individuals who possess child pornography also sexually abuse children.