A Senate committee inquiring into the effects of internet pornogrphy on the way children view women has “passed up” an opportunity to reduce domestic violence, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.
The ACL said an Environment and Communications References Senate Committee report released on Wednesday ignored requests for an ISP-level default internet clean feed which they claim would “significantly reduce a child’s exposure to porn which affects the way they view women”. They note the decision “confusingly” comes just days after a NSW Government committee recommended ISP filtering as part of its strategy to prevent the sexualisation of children.
Wendy Francis, the ACL’s spokesperson for women and children, said that while many MPs were today wearing white ribbons to mark White Ribbon Day – a global initiative aimed at ending violence against women, by ignoring ISP filtering “we have missed the opportunity to prevent the pornification of our children which we know leads to domestic violence”.
“Online pornography is often violent and aggressive as pornographers seek to push the boundaries,” said Ms Francis. “Allowing children to be exposed to pornography is a form of abuse and often results in them being abusers of women as children or later in life.”
The ACL pointed to a submission by the Australian Medical Association to the committee inquiry in which they said “evidence indicates that exposure to and consumption of internet pornography is strongly associated with risky behaviour among adolescents” and that they were aware of a range of studies “that demonstrate a strong link between internet exposure to sexually explicit material and earlier and more diverse sexual practice that can result in adverse sexual and mental health outcomes”.
Ms Francis said the ACL was disappointed parents’ concerns had not been taken seriously. “The fact that the committee recommends another ‘inquiry’ by another group of people is very disappointing for parents and all who care about our children’s welfare.”
~ www.acl.org.au
~ www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Onlineaccesstoporn45/Report
