Child pornography signifies the creation, distribution, or possession of sexually explicit material involving minors. It’s a heinous crime carrying substantial consequences both in India and worldwide, perpetuating the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. Online child pornography, a form of digital exploitation, involves producing, distributing, or possessing lewd content involving minors on digital platforms.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 2019 in India defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, including photographs, videos, digital or computer-generated images indistinguishable from an actual child.
An Overview of the Indian Scenario
The alarming rise in cases of child pornography paints a dark picture of online child sexual abuse in India. The National Crime Report Bureau (NCRB) 2021 report indicates that cases have surged from 738 in 2020 to 969 in 2021, signifying a critical situation demanding immediate attention and stern actions.
The Impact of Child Pornography
Child pornography has severe psychological and behavioural implications:
– Psychological Impact: Child exposure to porn relates to depression, anger, anxiety, mental distress, disrupts daily functions, biological clock, workload, and social relationships.
– Impact on Sexuality: Regular exposure can cultivate a sense of sexual gratification and obsession, leading to real-life enactments of viewed acts.
– Sexual Addiction: Some experts liken pornography to addiction, asserting it shares similar brain effects to drugs or alcohol consumption.
– Behavioural Impact: Adolescent pornography use often leads to stronger beliefs in gender stereotypes, particularly among males. It fuels tendencies to view women as sex objects and support attitudes of sexual violence and violence against women.
Challenges in Countering Child Pornography
Addressing child pornography poses numerous challenges. Its effects vary between different socio-economic classes, necessitating varied approaches. In India, societal taboos around sex and lack of healthy family dialogue further complicate the problem.
Detection and effective monitoring of child pornography activities are intricate tasks for agencies. The presence of explicit content on standard websites and OTT services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hotstar makes it difficult to differentiate between vulgar and non-vulgar content.
Indian Initiatives against Child Pornography and Child Abuse
Several initiatives in India address child pornography and abuse:
– Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012: Amended in 2019 to include severe measures such as the death penalty for aggravated child sexual assault, the law also has provisions to combat child pornography. According to the Act, using a child for pornographic purposes is punishable by imprisonment and fine, with harsher penalties for repeat offenders.
– Other Initiatives: IT act 2000, Child Abuse Prevention and Investigation Unit, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Child Marriage Prohibition Act (2006), Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 2016, and POCSO Courts under Special Fast Track Courts.
Way Forward
Immediate action is needed to ban child porn. Technological solutions should be sought to prevent accidental exposure to explicit content. Awareness programmes and mandatory sex education in schools are necessary. Parents and teachers should receive training to deal with children in the digital era effectively. The legal framework needs to be robust, with acts like the POCSO Act being gender-neutral, prohibiting discrimination in distressing situations.