• Home

• Who is S.T.O.P.?

• Harm

• Porn and
  sexual abuse

• Porn and its
  effects on children

• The effects

• Make a difference

• Child Porn

• Safety tips

• Useful addresses

• News articles

• Addiction

• Resources centre

• Meeting Minutes

• Free Download

• Contact us

S.T.O.P. SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY TASK GROUP HEARING ON THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN PORNOGRAPHY AND THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN

The motivation of our STOP Group in making this submission may be found in the words of our Mission Statement, viz:
To promote a society in which children are nurtured in an environment of sound family values and in which women and children in particular are protected from sexual crime, sexual exploitation, abuse and violence in accordance with their Constitutional rights.

The particular aspects which will be addressed in this submission are, to quote from the published Task Force notice, "… child rape and abuse to analyse its causes and inform our counter-strategies appropriately."

The focus of our Group lies in opposing the flood of pornography and related sexually explicit material which has engulfed our country since it became known in 1994 that pornography would be legalized for the first time in the history of our country by an Act of Parliament. This, the Films and Publications Act which was gazetted in November 1996, also, by its nature, contributed to the development of a social climate of sexual "freedom" which inevitably degenerated into an "anything goes" culture. Statistics indicate that this rapidly translated into the increase in sexual crime which will not, per se, be elaborated on here. Suffice it to say that, in 2000, 25 578 sexual crimes against children (i.e. under age 18) were reported (Carol Bower, Executive Director, RAPCAN, in the Cape Argus, 14 November 2001). The effect of legalizing pornography is well summed up by Dr Judith Reisman, Director and President of the Institute for Media Education, Arlington, Virginia, USA, in her 1995 paper "A Testimony for South Africa re Mass Media Effects", as follows: "There is no such thing as protecting children from pornography when it becomes legalized. Increasingly societal coarsening allows more and more abuse …" Ms Bower in her letter to the press referred to above has this to say: "… we need to reflect on the fact that childhood, with the space to grow up and explore the inner and outer worlds free of fear, is increasingly not a period of innocence in South Africa."

In line with our focus, the main aims of this submission are firstly, to present evidence to show the causal linkage between pornography and sexual abuse, whether it be of children or women and, secondly, to suggest appropriate solutions. Our overall objective is to highlight the urgency of the need for counter-measures aimed at PREVENTION of, rather than intervention in, the sexual abuse of children.

However, as the public in general (and politicians are no exception!) are surprisingly ignorant of the in-depth facts about pornography it is essential, as a first step, to look at the nature of pornography, i.e. what it is, its wide availability in the community, and its effects. The effects will also illustrate the causal link with sexual crime.

THE NATURE OF PORNOGRAPHY
The dictionary definition is "the writing of prostitutes". It is designed to sexually arouse the viewer or reader – that is its essential objective. It depicts mechanical, loveless, and frequently violent sex and often involves children (or petite "legal" 18-year-olds made up and dressed to look like much younger children – that is to say, simulated child pornography). It perpetuates the rape myth that when a woman says "No" she actually means "Yes" and that she enjoys sex even when it is violent. Overall, the male is always dominant.

A re-definition came from the (unanimous) Supreme Court of Canada in 1992 as "material that degrades or promotes violence". The term sexually explicit material (SEM) is also in use as being synonymous with, and preferable to, pornography.

Pornography depicts, in decreasing order of frequency:
1. Nudity
2. Heterosexual sex and oral sex
3. Group sex
4. Homosexual behaviour
5. Violence
6. Paedophilia
7. Bestiality (i.e. sex with animals)

Pornography may be described as being Hard-Core or Soft-Core. When evaluating the effects of pornography on the individual and on society this distinction is for most purposes not relevant. The difference between Child and Adult pornography is, of course, distinct with the former having a specific association with the sexual abuse of children.

Child pornography is illegal in our country.

MEN'S MAGAZINES – "SOFT-CORE" PORN
In addition to the "hard-core" porn which enters the community via adult premises, there is a vast amount of unclassified men's type magazines containing disgustingly explicit sexual material capable of fostering promiscuous attitudes. The potential danger is increased by their sale in "Family" outlets such as stationers, bookstores, "corner cafés" and similar chains, and supermarkets. It is encouraging however that there are some of these, including some national supermarket chains, which have shown a praiseworthy sense of social responsibility by refusing to stock magazines of this genre on principle or in response to public pressure.

AVAILABILITY OF PORNOGRAPHY
Pornography is freely available in books, magazines, videos, cinema films, TV, radio, the media and advertisements. The Internet has a mind-blowing array of easily-accessible porn websites featuring explicit, depraved, sexually explicit material as well as several million images of child pornography.

How is it that this material is found everywhere in our society? Where films and publications are concerned it is, in a nutshell, because of the parameters of the Films and Publications Act. The built-in precaution in the Act, in the interest of protecting children, is the provision that material classified as X18 may be sold only in licensed Adult Premises to persons over the age of 18. How can we be so naive as to expect that, once it leaves the shop, it will not find its way into the community? It is found in second-hand bookshops, in the streets, in car-boot sales, at school recycling depots, in homes where it is left lying about by careless adults, and in our schools where these publications circulate freely, being especially popular amongst young boys. The consequences? To look at just one – how can we expect to inculcate healthy and acceptable standards of sexual behaviour in boys aged 12 to 17, known to be the biggest consumers of pornography, when their standards are being set by smut and sleaze? A relatively mild example to illustrate this point is the cartoon series formerly featured in the notorious Hustler magazine (USA), produced by a man using the pseudonym of Chester the Molester. Enough said! (He was later jailed for sexually molesting his young daughter over a period of years.)

The result of this widespread dissemination of pornographic material is that it is no longer the preserve of the relatively affluent strata of society but is available across the board to the community. Its significant use by gangs who, inter alia, use it to lure school children into illicit activities, is but one example. Another with a relatively light slant is that of a "bergie" who came begging at the suburban home of a member of our STOP committee and was found to have porn magazines in his bag! (This lady's husband burnt them!) The implications are, however, anything but "light-hearted".

Amongst the readily available sources of sexually explicit material our television broadcasts must be singled out in their ability to alter standards of sexual behaviour. The constant glamorisation of violence is equally deplorable. TV comes unasked right into our homes and its influence is insidious and all-powerful. Our national broadcaster and the commercial channels are constantly pushing the limits from the sexually suggestive through to overt pornography.

It is significant that by far the greater volume of concerns/complaints that our Group receives is related to TV and radio broadcasts rather than to other sources of porn.

The effects of TV will be enlarged on later in this submission.

RAPE – A CRIME OF VIOLENCE?
As the rape of children is uppermost in our minds at this time, it is appropriate, before continuing, to look briefly at the profile of the rapist.

In the past the literature has favoured the theory that rape is predominantly an act of violence rather than a crime motivated by passion or lust. We suggest that, with the general decline in standards of sexual behaviour over the past few decades, this is no longer the case. "Date rape", increasingly common, and the rape of school children by teachers, for instance, are unlikely to be primarily attributable to the underlying need of the perpetrator to commit an act of violence. This is reinforced by the definitions of rape used by Dr Rachel Jewkes et al. in their paper "Rape of Girls in South Africa" (The Lancet, 26 January 2002), in which women were asked if they had been "forced to have sexual intercourse against their will by being threatened, held down, or hurt in some way" or "persuaded to have sexual intercourse when they did not want it" (emphasis added). It appears that, in searching for the causes of the escalation of rape, the mindset of the rapist is due for reappraisal.

EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY
Different individuals react in different ways to sexually explicit material (SEM). Dr A. Grazioli, an eminent sex therapist and Director of the Sex Education and Dysfunction Unit of South Africa, sums this up by saying, "The pre-established vulnerability of each individual exposed to SEM will determine the degree to which each individual is consciously and subconsciously affected by it." However, there is no getting away from the fact that by its very nature, pornography is able to promote a permissive, promiscuous, and sexually violent culture. The common-sense conclusion is that the emphasis on the need for sexual excitement generates a mindset which finds its outlet all too often in sexual abuse, whether it be of women or children.

What evidence do we have to support this conclusion? In a presentation at the Beijing Conference in 1992, Dr Catherine Itzin said, "It is noteworthy that governments in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have now acknowledged the links that have been established between pornography, sexual violence, child sex abuse and sexual inequality." In her paper (1992) "The Evidence of Pornography – Related Harm", she says: "There is evidence that through the making and use of pornography, women and children are harmed. This harm includes: sexual murder, rape, sexual assault, child sex abuse, sexual harassment, coercion in the making and use of pornography, sexual objectification, and contributing to sexual inequality and women's subordinate status."

There is a vast amount of international reputable literature to support the correlation between sexual crime and the use of pornography. This ranges from the obvious example of the paedophile who uses child pornography both to stimulate himself and to motivate his victim to the less well-known that pornography consumption has the effect on the user of trivialising rape as a criminal offence. Space dictates that we quote only a few references.

Dr Victor Cline, clinical psychologist at the University of Utah, one of the most respected researchers in the field of sexual abuse, has treated hundreds of sex offenders who have had exposure to hard-core pornography. He has found a near universal pattern. First there is an addictive effect followed by an escalation in the need for "stronger" material – in these ways pornography is no different from drugs. Thirdly, over time, desensitisation occurs and, fourthly, there is an increased tendency to put into action the sexual activities seen in the pornography. Thus fantasy can become reality – especially dangerous to the community where the addiction has been to child pornography.

Dr William Marshall, a respected and experienced Canadian psychologist, stated that "87% of girl child molesters and 72% of boy child molesters regularly use pornography" and "86% of rapists regularly used pornography and 57% imitated pornographic scenes in the commission of rape."

In a 10-year study, the Los Angeles Police Department found that in 60% of child molestation cases, adult or child pornography was used to destroy the conscience of the child and teach them to model perverse behaviour (Attorney-General's Commission on Pornography, USA, 1986).

This is but a glimpse of overseas findings. Now to bring the picture nearer home. Cape Town SAFELINE counsellor Lindi Wadhams, in a presentation to the 1997 Western Cape Pornography Conference organised by our STOP Group, said:
"About 80% of the perpetrators (of sexual offences) I worked with admitted to being involved with pornography ranging from soft core pornography to hard core pornography. According to one sexual offender, ‘As an abuser I can say that pornography definitely played a role in my abusive patterns. Looking at material started my fantasising and from there I would show the pornography to my intended victim and watch their reaction. Sometimes I would get the victims to act out what they saw. I have no doubt in my mind that from my experience, pornography should be banned and that it is harmful.'"

In the mid-90's an advocate of the then Western Cape Attorney General's office stated that every case of consensual child abuse she had handled involved the use of pornography.

Child prostitution is rife in our country and has escalated tragically since South Africa became known as a premier sex-tourism destination. Children's bodies are plentiful and cheap, particularly on the Cape Town Waterfront, and pimps make use of pornography as tools to teach and motivate (the report, "Child Victims of Prostitution in the Western Cape" by the Institute of Child and Family Development, Western Cape).

Our Uniquely South African Situation
In considering the effects of exposure to sexually explicit material on our nation it has to be emphasized that pornography is not part of the culture of our indigenous peoples and exposure of their young people to this material has led to puzzlement, anger and breakdown of traditional family values. Soweto-born Mary Masechabe Mabaso gives an African-orientated analysis: "In our tradition, sex is a private thing and you have to respect it … We have never before seen things like some of them are showing [on videos] … Now we realize that other countries are not worried about sexual abuse. They do it in public whereas with us it is a curse. The boys here are now taking advantage of what they are seeing. They want to sit with a girl and kiss her. But that is not our nature. It is not our culture. Boys nowadays want to practise what has never been practised in our country" (Prof. Diana Russell, "Rape and Child Sexual Abuse in Soweto: an interview with community leader Mary Mabaso, 1991).

Mary Mabaso also testified, when describing the ways in which schoolgirls were being raped in her area, "that pornography can cause men to act out sexually in ways they couldn't have imagined without the aid of pornography" (Anne Mayne, in current Task Force submission).

Political Studies lecturer at the University of Cape Town, Mary Simons, also noted that when she was an honours student at UCT her black male colleagues "found that one of the most difficult things about coming to res [residence] was their exposure to blue movies, which they had never seen before" (from Varsity, 9 March 1993).

Dr Angelo Grazioli, in his 1995 paper submitted after being requested by the Attorneys-General of the Western Cape and Witwatersrand to draw up a statement, gives this personal comment:
"As a sex therapist practising in South Africa I observe large sectors of the society in transition from rural to urban setting, in transition from lower to higher socio-economic status, and in transition from disempowered to empowered class. Such transitory status renders individuals hungry for success to be particularly vulnerable to symbols of freedom, independence and maturity. I frequently encounter individuals whose acceptance and use of SEM has more to do with a quest for such upward mobility than with a carefully thought out logic."

In his personal conclusion at the end of the paper, Dr Grazioli says, "I consider South African society to be relatively more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of sexually explicit material than ‘first-world' societies."

In 1996, when testifying to the portfolio committee hearing on the Films and Publications Bill, Dr Grazioli pinpointed the vulnerability of our society as follows:
"As a sex therapist practising in South Africa, I find the exceptionally violent climate of the society, and the high incidence of broken family units, has left many individuals with a pre-established vulnerability to the most misleading and destructive effects of sexually explicit material."

A 1995 memorandum to parliament on the Films and Publications Bill by Advocates Ronel Berg and Tessa Heunis of the then Attorney-General's office, Western Cape, says:
"We have a dysfunctional society which can't be equated with that of any of the so-called First World countries (emphasis added). We have the highest crime (including rape and child abuse), illiteracy, unemployment and divorce rates, coupled with the problems of a lack of housing and migrant labour, all of which will affect the dissemination of pornographic material and the likely effect …..…"

Paradoxically, the highest-in-the-world crime and divorce rates mentioned in the above Memorandum as being two of the indicators of the dysfunction of our pre-1995 society are themselves exacerbated by pornography. Thus a "vicious circle" effect is perpetuated.

Divorce warrants special mention in the context of the effects of porn. The addiction of a husband to porn is becoming ever more frequent as a factor in the breakdown of relationships. When family life disintegrates the way opens up all too often for neglect and abuse of children, sexual abuse by step-fathers being particularly common. Criminal tendencies of every sort are known to flourish where family life is extinct.

In the light of our South African situation it is important to note that the factors which are frequently cited as being primarily responsible, as opposed to pornography, for the rape of children – viz. poverty, lack of housing, drug and alcohol abuse – are those very factors which predispose communities to be even more vulnerable to the effects of the widespread dissemination of pornography. Admittedly no contributory cause operates in isolation but the point here is that it is the "mixed cocktail" that has the explosive effect.

And lastly, in considering the effects of pornography in the South African context, that most tragic of the consequences of a sexually permissive society – HIV/AIDS. The answer to the question "How have we come from abstinence to AIDS in one generation …?" is self-evident.

TELEVISION
The role of television, a major source of undesirable and offensive sexually explicit material, actual and entertainment violence, all capable of formulating or changing attitudes, was touched on earlier in this submission. The words of Dr Harold Voth of the USA, in his book "Families of America", are particularly applicable to the effects of TV, particularly on the younger generation
"Pornography depicts on the screen, the printed page, on television and on the live stage, what exists in the sick personalities of millions of our fellow Americans. When responsible adults permit this sickness to be displayed virtually without any restriction, the younger members of society believe that elders condone these forms of behaviour. New values are thereby introduced into society." (Emphasis added)

The power of TV is also illustrated in the findings of Dr James Babarino, Professor of Human Development at Cornell University, New York, that "15 years after television is introduced into a country there is a doubling of the murder rate" (Argus, 25 October 1999).

A report from Washington (Argus, 26 July 2000) states that in "what one lawmaker called a turning point in the battle against entertainment violence, four national health associations [Medical, Paediatric, Psychological, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric] are directly linking violence in television, music, video games and movies, to increasing violence among children." The organisation's statement says:
"The conclusion of the public health community based on over 30 years of research is that viewing entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values and behaviours, particularly in children."

In concluding this section of our submission, which has been aimed at showing the correlation link between pornography and sexual crime, the words of Dr Judith Reisman (see previous reference), in her 1995 paper, "A Testimony for South Africa re Mass Media Effects", in the form of a prediction even now being fulfilled, are particularly telling:
"So called frank sex education, allegedly candid sex talk shows, ‘adult' pornography, or ‘artistic erotica' and the like, all contribute to the erotic environment and as such all trigger child sexual abuse and a concomitant rise in children sexually abusing other children and exponential increases in every form of sexual violence. The resulting AIDS and assorted other venereal diseases, illegitimate births, suicide, homicide, divorce, homelessness of children and women, will economically unravel the wealthiest society, and will predictably cripple the attempts of South Africa to rise economically and as a nation state."

COUNTER-MEASURES TO THE PROLIFERATION OF PORNOGRAPHY
Firstly we must have no illusions about what we are up against in this "war against our children". Dr Grazioli, in his 1995 report to the Attorneys-General already referred to, briefly illuminates the scenario in America as follows:
"Sales of pornographic products in America exceed $7 billion each year – as much as the motion picture and record industries combined. At least half that money is skimmed off by organized crime. In fact, two grand juries determined that organized crime controls a full 90% of the hard-core porn traffic in the United States. 50% of the profits in the videotape industry come from pornographic movies."
We do not have updated figures up to 2001 to show the ongoing increase in the profits of this vast industry but we do know that pornography now also accounts for a huge proportion of Internet revenue.

Experience in South Africa (Anne Mayne, personal communication) has shown that the pornography trade is ruthlessly expansionist, especially in trying to make inroads into an ever younger age group. Prior to the advent of our country's newfound freedoms in 1994 purveyors of pornography were, by their own admission, waiting in the wings to pounce, like vultures, on their newest prey.

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
These will be briefly outlined. It is not for us to fine-tune solutions but we can expand on them if required. We will also be happy to assist Government in any way emanating from our experience gained over the past six years, together with our wide-ranging review of the literature – mainly from overseas countries. These countries have already travelled, over the past three decades, the road which we are now travelling.

· Review of the Films and Publications Act, for example, books and magazines of a pornographic nature should be submitted to the Film and Publications Board prior to publication (submittable publications), i.e. classification should not be "complaints based" as at present.

· Review of the Business Act in order to legislate tighter requirements for the establishment of Adult Premises ("Sex-Shops"). e.g. by stringent licensing requirements, limitation of numbers in a given area, and by land-use zoning. Such measures could be passed on, as is presently the case, via Provincial law and local government which, by its nature, allows for direct public participation (Note: Zoning by-laws are already operative in East London).

· Enforcement of the Broadcast Act. The electronic media should be compelled to adhere to the fine Code of Conduct as contained in the Broadcast act. At present the Act appears to have no "clout" where contravention of the Code is concerned.

· THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A USER-FRIENDLY, WELL-ADVERTISED ROUTE (including a toll free phone line) FOR THE PUBLIC TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OFFENSIVE/HARMFUL TV AND RADIO BROADCASTS.
At present public frustration runs high at the dismal record of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCCSA) to deal effectively with complaints about sleaze and violence on TV and radio. It would appear that BCCSA fails to base its verdicts on requirements for programme content as contained in its own Code of Conduct. Further, the legalistic, restrictive nature of their modus operandi (e.g. all complaints must be in writing, all hearings are held only in Gauteng) precludes a large segment of our population from making their opinions heard.

· A public hearing should be set up by the Portfolio Committee, Department of Communications, as a matter of urgency to facilitate public debate on the programme content of the electronic media.

· The appointment by SABC of a suitably qualified person to advise on programme content particularly for TV.

· The functions of the Film and Publications Board should be expanded to deal with TV material as well as films and publications. This system of having one parastatal body for both operates in the Netherlands and works well.

· The Film and Publication Board should be expanded to include a "law enforcement" arm which could receive public complaints and liase with and advise the Police.
In any event, there should be a USER-FRIENDLY route, similar to the one outlined above, for the public to report contraventions of the Film and Publications Act.

· The public should be educated and informed on the content and dangers of pornography. This responsibility should not be shrugged off simply because the Film and Publications Board has developed a comprehensive classification scale.

Members of the Film and Publications Board could be trained to undertake this educational function in communities. The Department of Education could play an important part in this and in raising awareness of the ever-increasing presence of pornography.

· Universities and colleges should be encouraged to research the extent and effects of pornography in the South African (and African) context. This could be via student dissertations and postgraduate theses.
If Governments feels that more immediate research is needed to justify strong counter-measures, the Human Sciences Research Council could be requested to embark on this with at least a preliminary report being issued within six months. Indications are that this is needed to evaluate the part played by pornography cross-culturally, initially concentrating on those geographical areas where child rape is prevalent.

· Government Departments should make good use of, and note the recommended follow-up resolutions of, several relatively recent conferences which have already addressed many facets of the problems now under discussion. High-ranking representatives of numerous Government Departments and the Judiciary have attended and there have been addresses by Cabinet Ministers. Two conferences which come particularly to mind are the National Consultative Conference Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children (March 1999) and the Workshop on Combating Child Pornography organized by the Film and Publication Board (May 2000) where, in both cases, valuable input was provided by national and international speakers of repute.

CONCLUSION
When proceeding with counter-measures we need to anticipate the time-worn tactics of the pro-porn lobby. Paramount amongst these is their argument that there is no PROOF that the use of pornography causes sexual abuse.

The answer is that – just as with the statement that smoking causes lung cancer – there is no scientific proof. This did not prevent our Parliament from instituting smoking laws in the interests of protecting the young and the vulnerable. The evidence which justified this step was based on the best research available, and on good common sense, and enabled a decision to be made on the grounds of the essential truth that the correlation between smoking and lung cancer had been established over a long period of time.

We believe that there is similarly a wealth of evidence to show the correlation and the causal links between the use of pornography and sexual crime.

Action must therefore not be paralysed by a lack of scientific proof. Let us rise to the challenge of the 1998 words of Nelson Mandela:

"Our success will and must be measured in the happiness and welfare of our children, at once the most vulnerable citizens in any society and the greatest of our treasures … There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."