Teh interesting (non-PHL-related) news stub thread

[Black Dragon]

A bit old but...

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/04/15...rnography/

“Hentai, the Japanese pornographic cartoon that depicts children in explicit sexual activity, is considered child pornography material and one may be severely penalized by just mere possession of it.

A bill banning this pornographic cartoon was approved recently by the Joint House Committees on Justice and Welfare of Children chaired by Rep. Matias Defensor (3rd District, Quezon City) and Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro (1st District, Tarlac), respectively.

Prieto-Teodoro, one of the authors of the measure, said the bill penalizes the offenders who sell, offer, advertise, and promote child pornography; and have been found to possess, download, purchase, reproduce, or make available child pornography materials with the intent of selling or distributing them.

Prieto-Teodoro said child pornography material refers to the means and methods in which a child carries out pornography.

“It can be in forms of visual depiction, audio representation and written text or materials that advocate explicit sexual activity with a child,” Prieto-Teodoro said.

She explained that the said images of real and indistinguishable children in films, digital images or computer images, whether made or produced electronically or mechanically; drawings, cartoons, sculptures or paintings depicting children in an explicit sexual activity are just some of the visual depictions considered as child pornography materials.

Rep. Darlene R. Antonino-Custodio (1st District, South Cotabato) another author of the bill to be known as the “Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009″, said the Internet which is used for gaining knowledge is being used by some as a medium to gratify sexual desire.

“Once the picture of child victim is flashed either on the Internet or video clip, the picture is open for the entire world to see. The child loses his or her privacy and innocence which can never be restored,” Antonino-Custodio said.

“Adults indulging in child pornography either by purchasing, viewing or producing them, should be subjected to the most severe punishments,” Antonino-Custodio said.

Under the bill, child pornography refers to any representation of a child below 18 years of age, engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child primarily for sexual purposes.”

The confused wording of the report may reflect the probable ignorance of the bill’s sponsors regarding what exactly it is they are proposing to ban.

Penalties are draconian, with imprisonment of 6-12 years and a fine of up to 500,000 pesos for simple possession.

Sentences of 12-20 years are mandated for those involved with the production of such material, but it is not clear whether this includes material in which no actual children were involved.

Given the highly papist proclivities of the Philippines, and the less than perfect democratic process the country enjoys, the bill is thought unlikely to face difficulty becoming law.

The bill’s authors include the usual opponents of freedom of expression and individual liberty: members of BUHAY, a pro-life ultra-conservative religious party, and GABRIELA, a leftist feminist organisation, are key advocates of the ban.

The level of enforcement the law may receive seems unlikely to be too vigorous, as rule of law in the Philippines is not as entrenched as it is in most developed countries. This seems unlikely to console those who do eventually suffer prosecution under it, however.

It is also possible that the law may be unconstitutional, and so eventually be struck down, but this may prove a lengthy and fraught process, as even in nations with constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression such prosecutions continue.

Via Oneiros’ report on the forums.

The theatre of moralism seems a popular political pastime of late. Loli bans have been proposed in Japan, and passed in the US, UK and Australia. Perhaps such histrionics prove a useful distraction from poor economic stewardship…

Perhaps I should join those against this bill *raises middle finger to the ones who passed made it into a bill*

Thankfully it's still a bill