The world is not becoming any safer for children, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Thursday.
Opening the National Conference Against Child Pornography in Port Elizabeth, she said a cure was needed to rid the world of individuals who derived pleasure from watching the exploitation of children.
"Let us not enjoy sleep until we have tried, and worked hard and succeeded in making the life of a child more bearable," she said.
"Only then can we be distinguished as worthy inhabitants of this beautiful land we live in."
The conference coincided with Child Protection Week, but Mapisa-Nqakula said that violence and abuse against children was on the rise.
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"We can never fully resolve the South African problem until we have addressed the plight of our children," she said.
Mapisa-Nqakula said child pornography was not a "victimless crime" as was recently shown when a Russian couple was sentenced to 12 years by a Durban court for making child pornography using their own children.
"We still have to do much more," Mapisa-Nqakula said, describing the efforts made to combat the problem.
While a hotline has been set up and laws have been altered, she said a sustainable programme was needed to educate South Africans about the phenomenon.
She said that the number of paedophiles was on the increase and pornography was a profitable business.
"It's estimated that child pornography generates between $2-billion and $3-billion per year, while Germany's annual sales of such publications reach beyond $250-million," she said. "In Asia, the child sex industry accounts for $2,4-million per year.
"This illustrates the nature of the enemy we are engaging." - Sapa
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