Child sex dolls on Amazon cause uproar

The continuing sale of child sex dolls on Amazon cause outrage in Germany and Austria. As the author Jasmin Schreiber highlighted on Twitter on Wednesday, many of these sex dolls from different manufacturers are available for order. The photos included with the products are graphic and absolutely disturbing, as research by futurezone.at shows. In addition to dolls with childish faces and large breasts, there are also products which clearly imitate small children's bodies.

Child legs as sex toys

One manufacturer even sells lower bodies as sex toys that show the legs of a small child. This is evident because they are shown in a row next to four other lower bodies on a bed, showing girls and women at different ages. The manufacturer prides itself on being able to offer an "absolutely realistic experience". The lower body has two openings for anal and vaginal penetration.

The packaging is advertised as "discreet", shipping is done "fast". The doll is available in sizes from 55 to 100 centimeters and gets shipped from China. It is not directly sold by Amazon, but through a third-party dealer for just under 140 euros. In addition to this particularly disturbing product, there are also dozens of other full-body sex dolls that cost several hundred euros. With a size of 125 centimeters and a weight of 20 kilograms, they too imitate children.

On German-speaking Twitter the child sex dolls cause horror and disbelief. Some address legal aspects, whether such dolls in Germany or Austria should be legally owned and sold in the first place. Amazon receives most of the blame, though. Various users also criticize that such questionable products cannot be reported easily.

The dispute over child sex dolls on Amazon in Germany and Austria is not new. As early as 2017, the online retailer reacted to a media report and removed at least some of the questionable products. The large number of still existing child sex dolls and the very graphic photos on the platform only lead to the conclusion that there are no real control mechanisms.

Amazon removes some dolls after futurezone report

Contacted by futurezone.at, Amazon dodges the questions whether they want to stop selling these kinds of sex dolls in the future and only refers to their selling guidelines. "Amazon resellers are independent companies and must adhere to our terms and conditions of sale when they sell in our store. If we become aware of a violation, we will take action to close the account. The products in question are no longer available." an Amazon spokeswoman said.

The dolls that futurezone reported directly to Amazon were indeed removed in the meantime. However, a quick search for other products from the manufacturers in question showed many other disturbing entries. The question, how such products can even make it onto Amazon’s platform and apparently remain undetected there for days and weeks, was left unanswered.

Debate about the ban of child sex dolls

While selling sex dolls that clearly imitate a child’s body in Austria is prohibited, possession and acquisition of such dolls in Germany and Austria are allowed. There is some controversy as to whether this should be banned in the future. Some therapists argue that using a doll can lower the inhibition threshold for child molesters, whether others consider a ban to be a populist measure.

The article was originally published in German by futurezone.at