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22 June 2010

Children, internet and porn

PRAVAT J GURUNG

The only thing that’s developed in our underdeveloped nation is technology. It’s grown to such an extent that life without technology now seems impossible.

But with good comes bad, and the repercussions young kids can have on themselves because of the technology development is underestimated.

Ten years ago, Nepal saw a rise in Internet connectivity and a mad rush sales of desktop computers and laptops. Come 2010, this has changed as desktops are near extinction and only used in offices, while laptops are more affordable. With wireless connectivity round the clock and portable laptops and mobile phones, minors are at high risk from the dark side of the world of Internet.

The World Wide Web is basically to check mails, stay in touch with friends and family, social networking and chatting. But there’s more to it than that.

“It was shocking when we found out that 99% of the children aged 12 to 18 have been exposed to pornographic images, and some 36% watch porn on the internet deliberately,” said Archita Panta, Program Officer at CWIN (Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre).

CWIN, with support from Save The Children –Sweden, conducted a survey on children’s internet activity with 1,430 respondents aged 12 to 18 from public and private schools and also street children.

“We knew that these kids were exposed to porn but the result was quite alarming,” expressed Panta. Some as young as six-year-olds living in the streets have watched porn because they hang out with adults, and it’s more of a compulsion to watch in order to stick to the group, added Panta.

Children should be focusing more on their education and shape their attitude in the correct ways during their teenage years as it’s the most crucial stage. However, they are diverted from the objectives, and Internet is to be blamed for it.

While banning porn sites completely in Nepal is an option, it is difficult.

“It’s difficult to ban porn sites completely because it’s an adult’s right to watch porn. But if a minor watches it, it’s illegal,” says Bibhushan Bista, who helped CWIN collect data for the report, “A Study on the Use of Internet by Children”.

Of the total 1,380 respondents, 82.8% said they frequently used internet to chat, facebook and check emails. The report also states that students either go to cyber cafes or friends’ places to surf the net because they have no privacy at home.

“In places like Birgunj, Nepalgunj and Surkhet, cyber cafés have private booths, and porn DVDs are provided even to minors because it’s business,” said Bista who also conducted a survey separately for the University of Washington, Seattle, about public access to information and communication venues in Nepal in 2009.

So the chances of a child getting addicted to porn are high, and the consequences could be depression, psychological illnesses and negative attitude, among other ills.

“In porn movies, women are just objects to have fun with. Hence, when young boys are exposed to this sort of material, they lose respect for the other sex,” says Panta, adding, “Also boys will try and imitate what they see onscreen. There have been cases

outside the capital when young boys have raped a young girl because they were trying what they saw in porn movies.”

Not only is Kathmandu affected but other urban cities such as Birgunj, Nepalgunj, Surkhet and Biratnagar have also been badly hit by pornography. This fact may be seen as a minimal threat, but it can cause serious damages to the generation next.

Also, minors are vulnerable when they chat online with strangers. Giving away personal details, exchanging photographs, and web cam chats are common among the youth. But this is dangerous. Pedophiles on the internet looking for sex with young ones are at large in the World Wide Web. After receiving photographs, web cam images or personal details, such as home address or phone number, it can lead to blackmailing, and sometimes even to forced sex, leaving children terrified and in mental trauma.

Nepal’s cyber law states that use of minors to produce sex videos, sexual exploitation of children, vulgarity, or trafficking of children are illegal, and that offenders can be fined up to Rs 200,000 or jail term of two to six years, or both, according to the sub-section 1, section 11 of the law. But there’s no law stating how pedophiles on the internet are to be punished, or how to curb cyber cafes offering porn and private booths.

“Parents need to be more aware of their child’s internet behavior and keep track of it,” said Panta. There are also various internet filters available for free to block sites on your computer, such as Net Nanny and K9 Web Protection.

Though porn has prevailed over generations, the present growth of technology and its portability has led teens and youth to a new world, much different than what we thought. As it is, selling of DVDs openly in the streets of Kathmandu or in any CD/DVD shop goes unchecked by the authorities concerned. It is parents and guardians, therefore, who need to be aware of this factor and create a buffer zone themselves to stop the generation next from sliding down to the other side of the World Wide Web.

Courtsey myrepublica.com

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