Prague Twin

Friday, October 19, 2007

It's About Time

It looks like the Czech Republic is finally getting serious about
cracking down on child porn.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed a bill stipulating punishment for the possession of child pornography into law Thursday, Klaus's spokesman Petr Hajek told CTK Thursday.

Up until now, it has not be illegal to posses child porn here in the Czech Republic. Manufacturing and distributing was punishable by up to two years in prison (under the new law it will be a maximum of eight) but it was difficult to root out the networks when the police could not investigate people for mere possession.

Despite the objections of certain MPs that people could be framed by having child porn sent to their email inbox, this common sense measure has finally passed.

And none too soon, I might add.

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9 Comments:

  • Yes, that's good news; sounds like a good balance. I'm generally pretty libertarian about victimless crimes, but child porn crosses the line. That law is necessary.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:29 PM  

  • It is good news, but I'm not sure two years for manufacturing and distributing is enough.

    God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

    By Blogger David Schantz, at 9:57 PM  

  • Now for the official will to engage with the sickos. Too often the issue is either covered up or ignored rather than revealed the disgusting behaviour of people with power.

    By Blogger Cartledge, at 4:44 AM  

  • Tom,

    Indeed, child porn is anything but a victimless crime.

    David,

    It is eight years under the new law. Still getting off easy if you ask me.

    Cartledge,

    It will be interesting to see where it goes. The real pressure for this law came when a big European wide bust lost it's teeth here. Several hundred perps were identified but their computers could not be searched. This would have led to many more arrests.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 9:32 AM  

  • I'm going to take the counter position and not just because I'm being contrarian. I don't believe every sexual contact of a child is harmful, although most could well be. I don't believe the people who are sexually excited by a child are any more making a choice than homosexuals are. I'm against rape and exploitation but statutory rape is often like the war on drugs.

    By Blogger Roger Fraley, at 7:38 PM  

  • as a victim of porn, because of my ex-husbands adiction to it - NO porn is victimless whether it is child or adult. Porn turns women and chidren in nothing more than a piece of paper. What many men don't realize is that they are exploited in porn too - not the same as women and children, but they are victims too. And I mean the viewers, not the participants.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:55 AM  

  • I'm truly sorry for your personal history, but blaming porn rather than your husband (or possibly a little yourself) seems like blaming guns for murder. It isjust paper or video after all and it doesn't turn itself on, if you catch my drift.

    By Blogger Roger Fraley, at 10:44 PM  

  • Just to be clear, I am not against consenting adults doing anything they want.

    I have friends in the porn industry, and I can tell you that most people in the industry very much enjoy what they do, and are paid VERY well for it. Yes, it is the consumer who is being "exploited" if anyone is.

    But those who work in the industry are some of the strongest critics of child porn.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 1:07 AM  

  • Roger - you didn't catch my drift - porn turns ALL women and in this case children into nothing more than a piece of paper or tape, similar to what the men are viewing. It's a well know fact. The men start viewing all women as if they were just paper/tape objects used for their sexual gratification. It takes time, usually years, but since porn is an addiction, because it releases a chemical into your brain and gives you a "high", and etches that image in your mind forever. And in time it takes more porn, nastier porn to get the same "high" - just like with illegal drugs or alcohol. All addictions are progressive. And even starting with something "tame" like Playboy, leads to hardcore porn, and leads to viewing children - and molesting children.

    Yes, I blame my ex-husband, but moreover I do blame the industry - but I've learned that his addiction had NOTHING to do with me. He was addicted before we got married, and simply progressed as all addicts do.

    You'll never convince me that's it's okay, or harmless - it's NOT, and the sooner people realize how destructive it is, the better.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:54 AM  

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