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Porn culture preying on children and youth
Jani Meyer. 26 November 2006. Sunday Tribune.
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Children and young people are being bombarded with sexual images in the media and on the internet. This ?‘over-sexualisation?’ could be a major stumbling block in South Africa?’s fight against HIV/AIDS.
Noreen Ramsden, founder member of the Children?’s Rights Centre, said the average age a child was exposed to hardcore internet pornography was 11.
Ramsden was one of the speakers at a forum held at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine in Durban this week to discuss obstacles to HIV prevention, with specific focus on over-sexualisation in the media.
Chairman of the forum and HIV/AIDS expert, Professor Jerry Coovadia, said people had to be blind not to see the cultural influences of the media and impact on the psyche.
?”Children are especially vulnerable and, as a paediatrician I see the impact of television or the ?“plug in drug?” on kids?”, said Coovadia.
He added that he had never come across the level of rape, abuse and brutalization of children as there was in today?’s society.
Ramsden said, apart from sexually explicit images on television, children were exposed to paedophiles and sexual predators on the internet and instant messaging services.
?”Pornography is big business. According to Microsoft, it is ?‘worth?’ R18.6 billion annually,?” said Ramsden.
She said that there were ?“stealth sites?” using brand names like Barbie, Pokemon and My Little Pony to lure kids on to porn sites. She said when entering these sites children were often confronted by hard-core images of rape, bestiality and child pornography.
?”This causes children distress and can lead to inappropriate sexual activities and even child-on-child abuse. It distorts their attitude and values,?” said Ramsden.
She said that young girls were taken in by the ?“raunch culture?”, dressing like ?“porn stars?”.
?”You have to protect your children by using filtering and monitoring tools. Choose safety over privacy,?” she said.
Cardinal Wilfred Napier said when dealing with issues like sex and HIV/AIDS, South Africans should learn lessons from the book of Genesis.
?”The reality of sin is that it is disorder. And the reality of that disorder is that it is the choice between doing what you have been told and doing what feels good. No-one has the right to say that HIV is a punishment from God, but if the human race breaks away from God?’s path they fall into disorder,?” said the Catholic cardinal.
Psychologist Kerry Frizelle said there was not a direct link between the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and sex in the media, and protecting children from these images would not necessarily reduce HIV transmission.
?”The United States probably has one of the most over-sexualised media in the world, but their HIV/AIDS figures are going down. A personality is a project in the making and behaviour change is complex. Youth are capable of engaging in meaningful discussions and making decisions about their health,?” she said. |
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