Declare a war on child porn

Sexual offenses against children is a crime against humanity. We are dumbfounded at the recurrences of this abominable phenomenon. The main cause is child pornography, as seen in a ruthless suspect who allegedly kidnapped and raped a 7-year-old girl who was asleep in her home in Naju, South Jeolla, last week. An irresistible sexual impulse from frequently watching child pornography led to the crime, according to the police.

The government must listen to analysis by experts that lolicon, short for “Lolita Complex,” Japanese slang for individuals with an attraction to underage girls, are most likely to commit the crime. Despite our police’s vow to put the brakes on the fast diffusion of sexually-explicit pictures and films involving kids in cyberspace, the effect seems to be minimal.

Crimes against children and juveniles are soaring. The number of such cases rose from 857 in 2007 to over 1,922 in just three years. It is time for the government to declare a war on crimes against children and child pornography.

The biggest loophole is weak punishment for offenders: merely five years in prison for producing, importing or exporting child pornography and less than three years in prison or fines under 20 million won ($17,600) for distributing or exhibiting it. That is in sharp contrast to developed countries where distribution and possession of child pornography is a criminal offense. In America, for instance, a person convicted of downloading sexually-explicit materials involving minors can be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.

As child pornography pollutes the Internet, the government must seek to address the issue through international cooperation.

Eradication of child pornography would also require social and medical solutions as most lolicons are pedophiles. To stop the vicious cycle, the government must take a two-track approach: stern punishments together with social and medical prevention.