Govt to come down hard on porn facilitators

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the Inspector General of Police to take tangible and tough measures to curb child pornography in Sri Lanka, including capture and posting on the internet photographs and video clips of unsuspecting persons, especially minors and women.

The President issued this directive after it was brought to his notice that there were many websites containing such material, much of it obtained in clear violation of the law and moreover antithetical to accepted norms in Sri Lankan society.

The Government is strongly and unconditionally committed to creating an environment where children can grow up without their dignity being violated in any manner.

The Government has identified numerous websites hosted in foreign countries that are been uploaded with obscene video clips and images featuring underage local children. Child pornography being readily available in the international market indicates that a significant number of children are being sexually exploited through this medium, it was noted.

According to the survey the availability, accessibility and the volume of child pornography are of disturbing magnitude. The producers of child pornography try to avoid prosecution by distributing their material across national borders, it was found. The material on these websites indicate that the basic tenets of decency and privacy are being violated by individuals and organizations using camera phones and other such devices on the unsuspecting.

It has been noted that the earlier instructions issued by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to Internet Service Providers have not been effectively enforced as the number of accessible porn sites have considerably increased in the recent past. Computer aided pornographic material is prohibited in Sri Lanka as per the Computer Crimes Act which is already in place. Existing laws have also been amended to curb the exploitation of underage children, even with the consent of the relevant minor. These are punishable under statutes under 'Crimes against women and children'. Accordingly, it is not only physical abuse including groping and touching but also lewd gestures, solicitation in any form, from any distance.

The Government is also seeking to expand and strengthen the ambit of the law by special legislation aimed at eliminating this social menace.

The Government will be obtaining the services of experts as well as one or more state institutions which have the technical know how and other necessary facilities to monitor such activity, locate servers hosting such websites, track individuals and organized crime groups posting on such sites and assist the law enforcement authorities in this endeavour.

The Government is committed to arresting this trend and seeks the assistance of the public to stop such abuse. (news.lk)