It's every parents worst nightmare; that their son or daughter will come into contact with a paedophile, either in public or on the internet.
But researches have floated a controversial idea for stopping paedophiles in their tracks.
"If you make virtual child pornography under strict government control with some kind of label explaining that no child was abused, you can give paedophiles a way of regulating their sexual urges"
Sexologists Rik van Lunsen and Erik van Beek have called for the Dutch government to legalise 'virtual' child pornography to "give paedophiles a way of regulating their sexual urges".
Mr van Beek, of Amsterdam University Hospital, said: "If you make virtual child pornography under strict government control with some kind of label explaining that no child was abused, you can give paedophiles a way of regulating their sexual urges.
"I think that repressing your fantasies can lead to frustration and, ultimately, for some types of paedophile, to a greater likelihood of doing something wrong."
"We don't make enough of a distinction in public debate between 'healthy' paedophiles, people who are not paedosexually active, and delinquent paedosexuals," Mr van Lunsen, head of the hospital's sexology department, added.
"We're not responsible for our thoughts or our fantasies; we're only responsible for one thing: our actions."
For most average people, however, the instinctive reaction to the controversial idea is one of horror and disgust.
Why should we provide an outlet for would be child sex offenders? Wouldn't legalising child porn, even virtually, give paedophiles the impression that their feelings are acceptable?
Jules Mulder, a psychotherapist who specialises in treating paedophiles, has slated the idea.
She warned the government that legalising virtual material would "certainly increase the likelihood of going through with it (sexual abuse)".
However many others are backing the concept, suggesting that, even though it goes against every gut instinct we may have, virtual child pornography could be the lesser of two evils.
Is it more responsible to assume that, in some way, paedophiles will find and / or create child pornography? Is it better for the government to create it themselves, ensuring that no children are abused in the making of it?
Would you prefer, as a parent, to know that paedophiles can legally access drawings or computer-generated child pornography?
Or do you think that, as has been done in the past, virtual pornography should be used to catch paedophiles in the act?
It's an ethical dilemma which has sparked fierce debate - but what do you think of the idea? Would you support virtual child pornography, if it ensured the safety of your own son or daughter, or are you against the idea, believing it will simply encourage paedophiles to take their urges further?
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