Tougher penalties proposed for trading, possessing child porn
05.03.2003
12.00pm
Offenders producing and trading in child pornography could get a maximum 10
years' jail under legislation the Government plans to introduce later this
year.
Justice Minister Phil Goff said those caught possessing child pornography
could get two years' jail under the legislation that significantly
increases penalties for child pornography offences.
"The current maximum penalties, which are one year's jail for producing,
copying and trading child pornography, and a $2000 fine for possessing
child pornography, are clearly inadequate and fail to reflect the fact that
the production of child pornography involves the actual abuse of children,"
Mr Goff said.
The increased penalties would bring New Zealand in line with the United
Kingdom and Canada, which had maximum sentences of 10 years' jail for
producing and trading in child pornography.
Mr Goff said those trading and possessing child pornography had an indirect
responsibility for the abuse of children because they created a market in
the images which encouraged further criminal acts.
Rapid technological advances which enabled sexual images of children to be
traded anonymously and around the world at minimal costs could not have
been contemplated when existing penalties were established in law 10 years
ago.
Data from Manchester, England, showed that in 1995 police seized 12 child
pornographic images in the form of photographs and videos. Just four years
later, 41,000 child porn images were seized and all except three were on
computers, with almost all of the images sourced from the internet.
"Similar increases have been observed in New Zealand and it is not uncommon
for New Zealanders who trade in child pornography over the internet to have
thousands of images of child abuse in their possession," Mr Goff said in a
statement.
The internet meant some deterrences, such as the risk of being identified
when buying child pornography from some sex shops, no longer applied.
Cabinet had endorsed increasing the penalties and a paper would go to it in
July, the minister said.
Penalties for other objectionable publications, including those depicting
acts of torture and sexual violence, would also be increased
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