What preventive measures should the government take in matters of child pornography?

Question

Would heightened awarenes, tougher laws and punishment, education, enactment of uniform codes of conduct-laws, etc., serve the problem of tyrying to prevejnt child porn..?

2,360 Suspects in Global Child Porn Ring
By VERONIKA OLEKSYN, AP

VIENNA, Austria (Feb. 7) - Austrian authorities said Wednesday they have uncovered a major international child pornography ring involving more than 2,360 suspects from 77 countries, including hundreds in the United States, who paid to view videos of young children being sexually abused.

The children were under the age of 14 and screams could be heard, said Harald Gremel, an Austrian police expert on Internet crime who headed the investigation.

Interior Minister Guenther Platter said the FBI was investigating about 600 of the suspects in the United States. German authorities were following leads on another 400 people, France was looking into about 100 others, and at least 23 suspects were Austrians, he said.

Platter said videos downloaded from the Internet and seized by Austria's Federal Criminal Investigations Bureau included images that showed "the worst kind of child sexual abuse."

Gremel said "girls could be seen being raped, and you could also hear screams." Although officials initially said the children ranged in ages from "0 to 14," Gremel later said no infants were seen in the videos.

Answer 1

I think there should be heightened awareness on this issue. Instead of the drive by media concentrating so heavily on "Global Warming", a thesis not proven, but that is pushed by the media, they should focus on actual threats that exist in our environment.

Children are the future. There is too much child abuse that is swept under the carpets and ignored. There are too many judges like those in Maine who are more concerned with the criminal rights and not the rights of the victim.

How many times are sexual predators rushed through our legal systems just to be released back onto our streets and enabled to harm more victims.

When a child is abused they remember it and have to live with it for the rest of their lifes. This is the real threat to our environment, not "Global Warming."

Answer 2

As far as I know, the show doesn't involve actual onscreen depiction of sexual activity. Of course, what's considered "sexual activity" is a bit vague, as are the laws about child pornography... For instance, what about MTV's other hit show, 16 & Pregnant? Here you have a bunch of underage kids who have OBVIOUSLY engaged in sexual activity, which technically makes this show child pornography as well. But for some reason, this show is considered OK because it's important we encourage teen pregnancy? Or, what about when MTV still used to show music videos? Would Britney Spears' videos be considered child pornography? What about other shows, like Jersey Shore which depicts real people doing much of the same stuff they're condemning Skins for? While the people on this show aren't minors, the show is still popular amongst teenagers. Whether the content is suitable for children or teenagers, should be up to the parents - and not the government - to decide. If the PTC wants to do something about the show, they should be complaining to the sponsors who can then put pressure on MTV by pulling their ads - and more importantly, their ad revenues - from the show or network.

Answer 3

I think that the goverment should take it more seriously and enforce the laws that are already in place. I feel that others need to take more seriously as well. There are people on 360 who blog and this is the very thing that they blog about. However, they must be reported numerous times before any action is taken. I also think the public should be more vigilant about it as well.