Assessment Levels

The IWF assesses child sexual abuse content according to the levels detailed in the Sentencing Guidelines Council's Definitive Guidelines of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (PDF 369KB). Page109 'Part 6A: Indecent Photographs of Children' lists the levels for establishing the seriousness of child sexual abuse images as below:

Levels Description

1 Images depicting erotic posing with no sexual activity

2 Non-penetrative sexual activity between children or solo masturbation by a child

3 Non-penetrative sexual activity between adults and children

4 Penetrative sexual activity involving a child or children, or both children and adults

5 Sadism or penetration of or by an animal