Advocacy group, Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA), has called on South Africans to engage in a critical discourse over child pornography.
This comes after the arrest of Darren Wilken, 35, who is due for his second court appearance at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, January 28.
Wilken was arrested last Friday in Midrand following a raid that uncovered electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material, large sums of cash, and drugs, exposing his connection to a transnational sex crime syndicate.
As a result, WMACA advocacy manager, Luke Lamprecht, launched a campaign called “Stop Calling it Child Pornography”.
“We must stop calling this ‘child pornography’ — that term minimises the horror. This is not about children being sexualised; it is about them being brutalised.
“WMACA Advocacy underscores the urgent need to challenge the terminology used in public discourse, particularly the use of ‘child pornography’, which trivialises the gravity of these crimes. Pornography implies consent; children cannot consent to such sexualised acts.
“Describing these non-consensual sexualised images as ‘pornography’ normalises the eroticisation of children and misrepresents the reality of sexual abuse, rape, and exploitation,“ he said.
The group’s founding director, Miranda Jordan, said the court case is a serious matter that exposes the dangers that come with adults preying on innocent children.
“This is not about images or videos — it is about real children who have been subjected to unimaginable suffering and exploitation. The infinite existence of this digital content means their trauma is never-ending. We need also to prioritise the victims, not just focus on the crime.
“WMACA knows how challenging and complicated cases like Wilken’s can get. Which raises concern regarding SAPS’s resources and ability to identify and help these child victims? Will they ever receive the justice and psychological support they need?” she said.
She stated that cybercrime is a complex matter that needs law enforcement agencies to be fully equipped and resourced.
“The lifelong consequences of cybercrimes that involve child sexual abuse and exploitation, is the infinite existence of such digital content on data clouds, and the many personal devices of those who downloaded the content result in constant shame, guilt, disorganised attachment, and severe developmental trauma.”
Jordan further revealed that Wilken’s case has exposed a global marketplace of child exploitation. Each file seized represents a child who has suffered, continues to suffer, or has been lost to this system of abuse. These children are not just statistics — they are human beings whose lives have been irreversibly harmed.
According to WMACA, the arrest of Wilken is similar to Operation Cloud 9, just 10 years ago in 2015.
This operation resulted in the arrest of William Beale, the first South African suspect implicated in a global child abuse ring.
Beale was charged with distributing images of newborns being raped. The extensive Interpol-led operation subsequently led to the arrest of individuals across Boksburg, Pretoria, Fish Hoek, Johannesburg, and KwaZulu-Natal, uncovering a network of cyber-criminals trafficking in child abuse materials.
Chief Inspector, Tim van Eester from Antwerp, Belgium, previously described the materials in Cloud 9 as “pure evil”.
“The Wilken case follows a disturbingly similar pattern, raising serious concerns about the continued operations of global sex crime syndicates exploiting children for profit.
“Wilken’s case proves these sex crime syndicates are still operating — and thriving. The same patterns, same methods, and same horrifying exploitation are resurfacing, exposing an ongoing failure in global child protection efforts,“ Jordan further stated.
“With 21 arrests in the last two years for offences related to child sexual abuse materials, South Africa remains a critical battleground in the fight against online sexual exploitation.
“The arrest of Darren Wilken is only the beginning — the true measure of justice will be in rescuing victims and ensuring those responsible face the full force of the law,” she added.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za