Anti-Child
Pornography Measure
Singed Into Law
Costa Rican President
Oscar Arias signed a new
measure against child
pornography into law
yesterday.
The law imposes jail
sentences of between six
months and four years
for the manufacture,
distribution, transport
or ownership of
pornographic material
featuring minors under
the age of 18.
Arias said the scourge
of child pornography was
not only a Costa Rican
problem.
According to data from
the United Nations
Children's Fund
(UNICEF), 1.8 million
children suffer sexual
abuse worldwide and the
illegal child porn
industry nets us$12
billion dollars a year.
"Responsible citizen
action must complement
this law. The state
cannot solve all social
problems alone. Society
must change," Arias
said.
He said child sex abuse
is deep rooted and is
caused by poverty,
inequality, lack of
opportunity, drug
addiction, lawlessness
and the collapse of
families.
Costa Rica's National
Child Support
Organization said it had
carried out four
national campaigns
against such abuse,
training 10,000 people
in civil society and
public office and giving
60,000children courses
on their rights. |
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