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Sunday 12 February RNW - NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM THE NETHERLANDS IN 10 LANGUAGES, WORLDWIDE 24/7 ON RADIO, TV AND ONLINE
Proof of age - should Dutch sex sites be obliged to hold age records
Andy Clark's picture
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The Hague, Netherlands
The Hague, Netherlands

Sex site models - should owners have proof of age?

Published on : 9 June 2009 - 1:29pm | By Andy Clark
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Should porn site owners be forced to prove that all models used on their sex sites are over 18?

The issue was discussed in parliament here in the Netherlands this week during a session aimed at coming up with new ways to tackle child pornography.
 
Left-wing parties wanted the government to introduce a law making it compulsory for Dutch sex-site owners and operators to provide evidence that everything on their site is above board.
 
But according to Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin this is not realistic. He said it would be going "really far" to expect the owners of these sites to hold copies of the identity papers of all of the models involved.
 
"The sheer volume of pornographic material, the fact that lots of it comes from outside the Netherlands and is often dated makes this in fact an impossible task for those running these sites," said the minister.
 
He added that most sites already clearly indicated that no-one under age was involved.

What do you think? Is the minister right or should tougher rules be introduced and would this help in the fight against child pornography?

Post your comments on this page.

 

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Discussion

MM 17 November 2011 - 8:51pm / Netherlands

I would like to join you . I have unieq skills . is it required ?

chetan 14 December 2010 - 8:10pm / india

814111947

deepak 16 September 2009 - 11:22am
I am sexy
George Kay 10 June 2009 - 6:13pm
Is sex dirty? Only if it's done right. Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?
Gary 9 June 2009 - 10:28pm
I agree with Mr Ballin. Those who continuously call for "more" to be done have lost perspective on the all-important issue here: child protection. Furthermore, there are some things which are just not doable. The kind of child pornography which should be the focus of political and judicial efforts is that which shows young children being molested (research indicates that this is thankfully much less common than some charities claim) and it is the producers of such material who should be targeted. Another problem is the extremely wide definition of "child pornography", which includes photographs (or realistic computer simulations) of models under the age of 18 in a pose which may be perceived as sexual. Focusing on such a wide range of material distracts the police from concentrating on serious cases of child abuse which need to be investigated. There are also millions of children worldwide who suffer from malnutrition and neglect, who are often ignored by those who crusade against child pornography. Children in underdeveloped parts of Africa are children too, yet they are frequently ignored. A sense of perspective is required when dealing with emotional topics such as this; it is reassuring to hear that some representatives apparently understand this.
Bob Beehrens 9 June 2009 - 8:34pm
Strange topic, this. Don't think child pornography can ever be curbed and certainly not by a bureaucratic measure.

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