Angela and friends post child porn on Facebook

***Please note: this post contains images that could cause distress to people who have experienced sexual abuse. View with caution.***

A couple of days ago, we noticed that Angela Power-Disney had posted a highly questionable and disturbing image on her Facebook profile. In the image, which appears to be a painting rather than a photograph, various men wearing what look like Nazi uniforms, and one who has removed his uniform to reveal a garter-belt and stockings, cavort in a room with four young pre-pubescent girls. The image is linked to a post entitled Satanic Pedophile Network Exposed in Australia.

We’ve chosen to show the image here (we have blurred the naked children out, unlike Angie’s original), not because we wish to promote it, but because we think it’s important to understand how very revolting it is.

We were heartened that at least a couple of Angie’s Facebook friends challenged her on her choice to post child sex abuse images to her Facebook profile:

However, we noted that a much larger number ‘liked’ it:

And many shared it to their own Facebook profiles: Ben Perez, Patrick Robert Easter, Lynne Coppell, Graham Sharratt, Mistee Dukart, Alan Alanson, Ed De Boer, and Kathy Truthseeker.

Frankly, we are astonished that people who claim to have the best interests of children at heart would see fit to like or share this disgusting, pornographic image. Okay, we weren’t surprised at Angie — she’ll do pretty much anything for a bit of publicity — but how can anyone really think that sharing a picture like this will in any way help an abused child?

In fact, this is the stuff of paedophiles’ dreams…or fantasies.

However, we were even more astonished at Facebook’s response when we reported this post:

Seriously, Facebook?

A picture of small naked girls amidst a group of lecherous-looking men does not violate your Community Standards? What sort of community are you running, then?

Perhaps we’re just naïve, though.

Apparently this isn’t the only instance of paedophilia that fits within Facebook’s vaunted Community Standards: last week the BBC reported that a number of secret groups for paedophiles are hosted on the social media giant:

Paedophiles are using secret groups on Facebook to post and swap obscene images of children, the BBC has found.

Settings on the social network mean the groups are invisible to most users and only members can see the content.

Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield said Facebook was not doing enough to police the groups and protect children.

Facebook’s head of public policy told the BBC he was committed to removing “content that shouldn’t be there”.

A BBC investigation found a number of secret groups, created by and run for men with a sexual interest in children, including one being administered by a convicted paedophile who was still on the sex offenders’ register.

The groups have names that give a clear indication of their content and contain pornographic and highly suggestive images, many purporting to be of children. They also have sexually explicit comments posted by users.

We found pages specialising in pictures of girls in school uniform – accompanied by obscene posts.

Images appeared to be stolen from newspapers, blogs and even clothing catalogues, while some were photographs taken secretly, and up close, in public places. One user had even posted a video of a children’s dance show.

According to the BBC article, “Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield said: ‘I’m shocked those don’t breach community standards, any parent or indeed child looking at those would know that they were not acceptable.'”

Indeed.

As far as we’re concerned, Angie’s pornographic image has no place on Facebook, or anywhere else.