MEPs push for child porn clampdown

Date: 07/06/01

By John Shelley

MEPS want laws to combat child pornography toughened to cover 'fake' computer-generated images as well as paedophiliac photographs and videos.

They will also call for explicit descriptive texts or drawings of youngsters to be made an imprisonable offence.

The European Parliament's recommendations on proposed laws put forward by Justice Commissioner António Vitorino make clear that written material which "creates the impression that the person depicted is a child engaged in or witnessing sexually explicit contact" would also be considered child pornography.

Vladimir Nabokov's classic novel Lolita would apparently fall foul of this definition. "Such material undermines the gravity of the crimes committed against children and dupes potential customers into thinking they are not indulging their paedophiliac tendencies and thus encourages the exploitation of children," said Greek Socialist Anna Karamanou, the Parliament's rapporteur on the subject.

She said countries such as Sweden, Denmark, France and Belgium had inadequate legislation to combat child abuse, while Portugal and Greece have none covering child pornography.

She cited the infamous case of Belgian paedophile Marc Dutroux, whose trial is still pending after four years, as an example of the failings of existing laws.

Vitorino's propsals, due to be adopted at a full meeting of MEPs in Strasbourg next week, would oblige member states to introduce a maximum penalty of at least four years for child pornography and prostitution offences.

This "minimum maximum" would be increased to eight years if the child involved was aged under 10, although Parliament wants this raised to 16.

The proposals aim to harmonise definitions of child abuse, helping authorities to cooperate in the fight against international paedophile gangs.

MEPs want laws to combat child pornography toughened to cover 'fake' computer-generated images as well as paedophiliac photographs and videos. They will also call for explicit descriptive texts or drawings of youngsters to be made an imprisonable offence.