THE EDITOR, Sir:
Permit me to provide some factual answers to
questions raised by Mrs. McCalla Sobers in her most recent article. She asked if there was a commercial aspect to our child pornography, the extent of the involvement of schoolchildren and the role of parents, government, children's agencies and the Church.
There is a large, lucrative international market for child porn. An expensive niche market exists for scenes involving violence, torture and even the killing of the subject.
Statistics show a very high level of sexual abuse and mental health problems in the Portmore area. Adults there leave for work in Kingston as early as 5 a.m. and return as late as 8 or 9 p.m. Each day, they leave behind a huge army of unsupervised children - easy prey for the growing number of idle young men and videographers. Although child porn fetches a much higher price, the capital outlay is much less as the subjects are innocent, unsuspecting kids who demand little more than a KFC or a burger and some friendly gestures. Add to this group, children who experience the sudden, unplanned and unprepared removal of their caregiver usually because of incarceration; they are forced to accept help from anyone at any price.
Although some mothers pretend to be surprised, distraught and angry when confronted with certain information, they are actively pushing their children into prostitution and living off the proceeds. When a child complains of molestation by the mother's partner, it is the child who has to leave home. Many of the atrocities, therefore, never reach the authorities unless teachers and social workers are prepared, perceptive and persistent.
The collection of child porn material is prevalent in societies where that basic unit - the family - has disintegrated, unemployment and underemployment are high, and political will and police concern are weak.
So when you see young men rushing to the
couriers, most of the large cartons marked CDs contain material, not from Beenie or Buju, but a bountiful supply of child porn.
When I was growing up, every adult assumed responsibility for every child in the area. This old West African concept of the village really worked. In its absence, government has to be more proactive by providing a realistic allocation of resources to protect our children. We cannot wait on the Church, because the Church is waiting on a manual and heaven knows when that will be ready.
I am, etc.,
GLENN TUCKER
Stony Hill, Kingston 9
