A whopping 81% of South African children between the ages of 13 and 17 have seen pornographic images on their friends’ cellphones, the Sowetan reported on Thursday.
Sixty-seven percent have been exposed to pornography through movies and, by the time they reach 18 years of age, 64% would have seen images of pornography on the internet.
These shocking statistics were revealed by the Films and Publications Board’s ministerial task team on child pornography under the leadership of Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba at an indaba that ended this week.
The survey was conducted among high-school pupils at randomly chosen schools in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The aim was to provide an informed basis for the establishment and implementation of public policy initiatives and other measures to minimise children’s exposure to such materials, said home affairs spokesperson Bayanda Mzoneli.
He said the study also aimed to empowering pupils with the necessary skills to cope with any distress they might suffer from involuntary exposure to disturbing and harmful materials.
The report also revealed that 45% of the respondents watched pornographic films regularly.
”More boys (84%) than girls (54%) have watched at least one pornographic film,” the report said.
Controversial Bill
At the end of last month, the media scored a major victory following a ruling by the portfolio committee on home affairs exempting print and broadcast media from provisions of the controversial Film and Publications Bill.
Committee chairperson Patrick Chauke said the decision to reinsert media exemption in the measure was a culmination of robust engagement between the committee, the media and other stakeholders.
”This outcome was informed by the engagement with stakeholders — it is evidence that this Parliament of South Africa is not a rubber stamp, but a Parliament that takes people’s views very seriously,” he said.
Had the committee not revised the Bill, the measure would have compelled print and broadcast media to submit certain stories to the Film and Publication Board before publication — something to which the media had strongly objected, as it would have amounted to pre-publication censorship.
The Bill, aimed primarily at cracking down on child pornography, provides that any content that is sexual in nature, or that can be deemed incitement to war or defined as hate speech, will have to be passed by the board prior to publication. — Sapa