2.6.2 Who are we safeguarding?

The sensitivity of child sexual abuse material does not decrease with time.

As sensitivity does not diminish, it is important to understand who we are trying to safeguard when determining what level of access we can allow.

There is an obvious safeguarding issue regarding a child represented in any such material.

Are we safeguarding:

• Those depicted within our collections?

  • What if they are deceased?

  • What if they are anonymous?

  • What if all direct descendants are deceased?

• Those who come into contact with, or view, our collections? (staff, researchers, general public etc.)

It is highly unlikely that we will hold CSAM that relates to a living child.

However, if you are concerned that the material does depict a living child, or if you think that somebody may be at risk of harm, you must report this to the Safeguarding Lead immediately so that any steps needed to safeguard them can be taken.

If the child is not living, Data Protection legislation does not apply. Direct living descendants should be considered as per our usual access procedures (see section 2.2). Therefore, we are not likely to be safeguarding those depicted within our collections.

Instead, the focus is more likely to be on those who come into contact with such material, and the impact or harm such contact can have or lead to.

We are also safeguarding the hypothetical future child.

When CSAM is viewed, it may contribute to a demand for such material that places other children at risk of similar abuse. We are therefore ensuring that any access is not opening up misuse of the material which could lead to such future harm.