2017-04-27 15:34:00

Indonesian Church, activists seek action on children watching porn ‎


Alarmed at exposure children to pornography, Indonesian Church officials and activists are stepping up efforts to protect them from the scourge. Father Hibertus Hartana, executive secretary of the Indonesian bishops' family commission said online pornography could rob children of important values, such as respect for life and the dignity of others.  "Rape is an example that can be traced back to pornography," said the Holy Family priest, referring to an incident in Bogor, West Java, when a teenager raped a 36-year-old woman.  According to the priest, it is the task of families and schools to prevent children from accessing pornography. Parents should have an open dialog with them and educate them in faith and morality. 

Minister of Women and Protection of Indonesian Children, Yohana Yembise, said the high number of Indonesian children accessing online pornography has drawn the government's attention.  "I am shocked that from 50,000 activities related to pornography in Indonesia every day, 25,000 involve children accessing it," she said in a statement.

Jakarta Police recently busted a vast pedophile network, containing as many as 7,000 members, in a closed Facebook group named Official Candy’s Group, which produced and distributed child pornography. Last year, the Communications and Information Ministry blocked 766,633 pornography sites.

According to Fr. Hartana, "The problem is that many children do not communicate with their parents.” “Parents should provide them with sex education so they don't just search on Google."  He said the Indonesian bishops' conference is collaborating with the Ministry of Religious Affairs on how to provide guidance and sex education for children. 

Maria Advianti, commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission, said they were also concerned. "Parents must know what children are doing when they are online," she said.  Schools must ensure that smart phones, laptops and other devices are cleaned of pornographic content, she added.  








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