Sexual Abuse of Children by Children Increasing While Government do Nothing About Pornography” – Tóibín
Please see link to the Aontú Protection of Children (Online Pornographic Material) Bill 2020 Bill https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/57/
Welcoming the recent research from Women’s Aid on the prevalence Pornography especially amongst the young, Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín stated.
“We are banning the advertisement of junk food to children because we know that these advertisements result in children eating junk food. Yet the government has not been able to link the consumption of hard core pornography by children with the significant increase in the level of rape and sexual assault among children. Its deeply frustrating”.
Research from Women’s Aid showed that there is widespread concern about the accessibility of porn to children and the harm that this has on their development. 71% of respondents said they believe that pornography is “harmful to society” and 63% felt that pornography “leads to increased sexual violence in society. This view chime with the shocking that are emerging in relation to the increasing level of sexual abuse that is happening between children in society.
“The Rape Crisis Network Ireland reported that in the last year there has been an increase of 18% in the number of children under the age of 18 who have abused other children. Gardaí have report that just under 200 under 16 year olds have sexually assaulted or raped over the last 2 years. Referrals to rape crisis centres in Kerry, Mayo, Carlow, Donegal and Waterford have spiked in the last year. Donegal saw 50% spike in children who are victims in the last year”.
“Research at the School of Psychology, NUI Galway has shown that almost 60% of teenage boys living in Ireland see porn before the age of 13. The Government must help parents protect their children from this. Despite this study showing widespread support for regulation, the Government is once again dragging its feet.”
"Access to pornography can have a tragic impact on young people. Research has consistently shown that pornography gives young people unhealthy understanding of sex and relationships. In some cases, children as young as eight are viewing online pornography. Studies undertaken by the Dublin Buissness School shows that this brings risks of potential "trauma, sexist role modelling, negative sexual consent attitudes, compulsive use, and viewing hard porn." It's absurd that the Government is not taking steps to protect children from harmful online content.'
“Aontú has introduced a bill, the Protection of Children (Online Pornographic Material) Bill 2020, that if passed would force the government to make regulations that ensure that children in the state cannot view pornographic material on the internet. We are calling on other parties to support this bill”
CRÍOCH
