Parliament to amend
child porn law Tuesday
PHILIPSBURG--Youngsters in the Antilles up to age eighteen will be protected under the child pornography law when Parliament approves on Tuesday amendments that have been pending for more than two years.
The existing law only covers minors up to age 16 and the amendment is necessary to keep up with treaties and agreements on Rights of the Child.
The initiative law proposal, championed by the PAR, calls for the amendment and extension of the punishment for possession, purveying and watching of child pornography and indecent assault on minors. The amendment, once approved, will prohibit the distribution, public exhibition, import, export, downloading and possession of child pornography under age 18.
Explaining the amendments, Parliament President Pedro Atacho told the press Wednesday that the maximum punishment for child pornography would be four years imprisonment. Perpetrators who make this a habit or profession can receive a maximum fine of NAf. 100,000 or up to six years in prison.
Currently, indecent assault on minors can be punished with up to eight years’ imprisonment. This new amendment extends this punishment to perpetrators in the business of child molestation and those who watch an indecent assault on a minor.
The law also outlines punishment for looking at images of “virtual children,” images of children manipulated by computer and changed in a way to provoke sexual stimulation.
Once Parliament approves the changes, they will be published and will become applicable within one to two months. The Minister of Education will also be requested to carry out an extensive awareness campaign to inform the general public about the changes and the penalties.
Also on Parliament’s agenda is a discussion about the developments at Bon Fortuno Prison in Curaçao.
