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TWO MEMBERS OF the Oireachtas are leading a call for a new bill against sexual offences to change all references to “child pornography” to “child abuse material.”
Yesterday’s announcement of the 2014 Sexual Offences Bill includes offences against organising, producing, arranging, possessing and distributing “child pornography.”
Those strengthened legal measures – and others targeting trafficking and child grooming – have been widely welcomed.
However, there have been calls today for Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to change the language of the statute to acknowledge the seriousness of images and videos featuring child sexual abuse.
“We have to call it what it is – child abuse,” Labour TD Ciara Conway told TheJournal.ie.
It’s time for us to get tough with these people.
The word ‘pornography’ has certain connotations and might give the impression that there are willing participants.
These children do not have a choice in this.
Independent Senator Jillian van Turnhout has also appealed to Fitzgerald to ensure that the new law reflects the absence of consent and “horrific” nature of child pornography.
The International Police Organisation INTERPOL has stopped using the term “child pornography” for these reasons.
Instead, the group refers to the offence as “child sexual abuse material”, “documented child sexual abuse”, “child sexual exploitive material”, “child abuse images,” or “depicted child sexual abuse.”
Pornography is a term used for adults engaging in consensual sexual acts distributed (mostly) legally to the generally public for their sexual pleasure.
Child abuse images are not.
They involve children who cannot and would not consent and who are victims of a crime.
The child abuse images are documented evidence of a crime in progress – a child being sexually abused.
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Ireland should be neutral in foreign conflicts. It would be sad if we lost that reputation.
@Celtic Eagle: This is rich coming from a ring wing person such as you! Isn’t the Eagle a Nazi symbol ? In other aspects, the eagles represents honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power and freedom – not seen any of that coming from your comments in the Journal.
@Con Cussed: ah jaysus. “I dont like your comment so I’m going to call you fascist.” Listen to yourself.
@motojack: You should read his comments about Ukraine, LGBTQ+ and other things.
@Con Cussed: none of those make him a fascist. He simply has a different view,one which somand gets literally playground bullied in the comment section. Also, his comments were about neutrality this time not the lgbtq etc.
@GaMran: I don’t agree with him on a lot but I listen to them. Also do you always agree with a person on every subject? I met people who are left supporters and sick of the gender politics,emigration etc. Still vote against the right because the other 1000 ideology they held is leftist. Gotta stop putting people into two groups. (left/ far right) I am in no way standing up for what this dude says most of the time but he has a right to say it without being constantly bullied and get sent nasty personal comments back.
@GaMran: Actually in essence I agree with you. I have desire in any way to bully the bully!
@Con Cussed: Ooops, I have NO desire in any way to bully the bully!
@Con Cussed: In that case you called a raging communist.
@Celtic Eagle: Well said.
@Con Cussed: i think u just did
@Keth Warsaw: LOL ;0)
We still need major investment in our military, starting with decent wages for our servicemen and women.
We absolutely have to stay neutral. Apart from everything else, we don’t have the money to build an army capable of fighting in wars.
@Ian Hoey: but we are benefiting from all the perks of living in a part of the free world…
@Ian Hoey: we don’t need to spend money building a military. If, for example we joined NATO, we would be in a position to provide bases and other infrastructure for allied forces to secure Europe’s western flank. I would imagine we would benefit in the sense that it would be in their interests to help equip and modernise our military.
In any event, it’s all academic as we will continue to bury our heads in the sand and fool ourselves into thinking everything is peachy.
@Paul Shepherd: It does actually cost money to be a member of the NATO club. I believe that the US and others were pushing for a 2% of GDP spend on the military budget. Not sure of what is spent on the military here but have a funny feeling that it is far from 2 percent.
@Ian Hoey: Maintaining military neutrality s actually more expensive that being part of an alliance. Now we have to equip ourselves to defend our sovereign territory from being used by any participant in foreign wars. All along we have been happy to let France and the UK defend our seas and skies.
I don’t see how you can be neutral in todays world…we have to side with Ukraine and expulsion of our diplomats and politicians by Russia is pretty aggressive…
Ok we don’t have military hardware but is staying quite acceptable ..not really..
@David cotter: we were neutral in the world of Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and Spain’s Franco dictatorship in the late 1930s.. it’s the same world , different year..
@Ciaran: that’s because Dev fancied being a propped up leader by the said regimes
@Ciaran: Two wrongs don’t make a right! We’re not politically neutral and therefore why be militarily neutral? The Russians certainly don’t think we’re neutral!
@Derek Goulding: No he didn’t. Ireland assisted the allies in many ways. We returned only allied airmen. We provided intelligence and vital weather forecasts.
@Ciaran: spot on just a other day at the office ….i think anybody thinks that strongly about going to war ..i say off u pop just don’t drag everybody with u
@Derek Goulding: but like ffgwith the tanks and the eu
@Michael Nolan: Yanks
@David cotter: what’s this we white man
@Derek Goulding: Any facts to go with that.
@David cotter: “We have to side with Ukraine” who said we have to. we don’t have to but we do, and we will pay the price for it. Watch this small clip, this is the Ukraine that we are helping https://twitter.com/RueDaungier/status/1595004035773657090?s=20&t=I_Jq55HMJB3wyIzIgUZeUg
Not the same world. Radically different. No cyber hacking,targeted social media propaganda,internet transatlantic cables or major US FDI investment in Ireland back then.And most of all. No Nuclear ICBMs. We are a 2ndary target, after London etc because of our strategic Atlantic position. We can choose to accept that and try to prepare .Or not prepare and 100% fail.
@cormac garvey: Fact!
With our neutral international position and the respect it attracts we could propose peace talks to the belligerents and in every international body where we have a voice – the EU, the UN etc.
The Good Friday agreement was a remarkable achievement as it dealt with populations on the ‘wrong’ side of state lines. Many of the negotiators of that agreement, such as Bertie Ahern and David Trimble, are still active and I’m sure willing to participate in such a bold call.
@Bramley Hawthorne: Be very hard for David Trimble to participate since the man died earlier this year
No country in the world with a history of occupation like Ireland, 6 counties still occupied despite Brit propaganda, has a weaker military than Ireland. It’s perverse.
Let’s get one thing straight sitting on the fence (as neutrality implies) in times of crisis is not an option and never will be for any country,this country once gladly acceped millitary help when it was needed ,we should help others like Ukraine against Russian aggression with every means at its disposal including military hardware,doing nothing (as neutrality implies) to help should never be an article in our constitution,it would be quite bizarre and crazy.
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