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A charity has suggested 'child sex dolls' be made available on prescription for paedophiles.
The silicon dolls resemble the look, weight and anatomy of a child, and charity StopSo believes they could stop people sexually assaulting real children, reports The Mirror.
Welsh anti-sex offending charity StopSO made the call after more than 100 of them were intercepted at the border.
"It feels like dangerous territory", said chairperson Juliet Grayson, but it might keep kids safe from predators.
"If someone comes forward and says, 'I am attracted to young children, and I want help to ensure that I never act on that attraction, so that I never harm a child,' then maybe society should consider the use of dolls in a carefully regulated way."
She said society needs to reach a point "where a teenager can say to his mum, 'I am a paedophile,' and she will get him the right kind of help to manage his behaviours in pro-social ways".
"Perhaps a 'prescription' for the use of a doll could be given, alongside therapy, mentoring and supervision, and could help the individual remain law abiding and fully accountable for their behaviour."
StopSO has 200 therapists trained or are in training in the UK to work with people who feel a sexual attraction to children.
But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have called for the dolls to be criminalised, and refute claims they can be used to treat paedophiles.
The NCA has intercepted 123 of the dolls since March, which led them to 120 alleged sexual offenders, including seven men who are now facing charges. All but one possessed indecent images of children.
NSPCC's development head Jon Brown said there was no evidence to support the claim that child sex dolls help potential abusers from committing offences against children.
"In fact, there's a risk that those using dolls or realistic props could become desensitised and their behaviour becomes normalised, so that they go on to harm children themselves, as is often the case with those who view indecent images".
The NCA said the dolls sell online for between NZ$900 and $1800, and often come with wigs and accessories such as school uniforms.
The NCA's Hazel Stewart said the dolls are a flag for interest in children, and more often than not importers of dolls were prosecuted for associated offending.
Barnardos UK chief executive Javed Khan said the importation of the dolls was an "extremely disturbing new phenomenon".
"Barnardos workers see first-hand the harm suffered by children who have been sexually groomed, exploited and abused."
The NSPCC is calling on the UK government to criminalise child sex dolls, urging online retailers to remove them from sale.
Newshub.
