Cellphone child porn scandal hits KZN

By Tamlyn Canham and Nomfundo Mcetywa

Children are increasingly "starring" in sex videos for kicks, while images depicting them engaging in sex acts with adults are being circulated on the Internet and by cellphone.

The children often participate willingly in the sex videos and child abuse experts said they were extremely concerned about this trend.

A sex video involving a 14-year-old girl carrying out sexual acts with taxi drivers and conductors is doing the rounds in Durban via MMS. The 22-second video, which is in possession of the Sunday Tribune, shows the girl, who is only wearing a school shirt, being fondled by a man whose face is not clearly visible.

It is not clear whether the girl was a willing participant, or if she was forced into the act. Five taxi drivers and conductors from the Newlands East Taxi Association have been suspended from the association for their alleged involvement in the video.

Police spokesperson, Michael Read, said a provincial task team was investigating and he believed the suspects would soon be arrested and charged with child pornography and statutory rape.

Since the incident came to light, the 14-year-old has not attended school. The principal of her school said they had been informed of the footage and had notified the girl's grandmother, who is her guardian. "The girl was not suspended or expelled, but was taken out of school by her family for counselling."

The girl's grandmother refused to speak about the incident and said the perpetrators should be questioned.

A spokesperson for the Newlands East Taxi Association, who did not wish to be named, condemned the act. He said they had been alerted about the sex videos by a commuter.

"People involved in the taxi industry also have families and children and we would definitely not like our children to become involved in such acts. Although we have suspended some members, we are still continuing with investigations because some of these people are not easily identifiable in the clips. We took the clips to a cellphone expert, but we failed to get a clearer picture," he said.

Earlier this year, two Johannesburg Metro policemen were arrested for allegedly filming a sex video involving an Eldorado Park teenager with a cellphone. The teenager was filmed wearing her school uniform and a police cap while having sex with several men. It is alleged that the 16-year-old may have been drugged before having sex with the men.

Linda Naidoo, KwaZulu-Natal Director for Childline, said there was a shift in the type of child pornography being circulated. Previously they had dealt with cases where children, including toddlers were being videotaped against their will.

"Now we are seeing older children becoming willing participant in these sex videos. They do it for remuneration, personal viewing or simply just for kicks," she said.

She said these children did not understand the full impact of being involved in such videos which were often circulated among friends and on pornographic websites.

"Adolescent are big risk takers and I just don't think that they understand the full impact of being involved in such videos. Most of these youngsters are at a stage where they experiment as they are still trying to find themselves. This put them at risk of being exploited and influenced," said Naidoo.

Naidoo said parents needed to play an active role in educating their children about sex. "Most of these cases have a lot to do with the conservative approach that parents have in talking about sexual issues.

Adolescents love sexual attention and if an older person, like a taxi driver, is interested in them they tend to get excited. The major problem is that we do not have people teaching them sexual morals and values," she said.

Modjadji Makoela, of the Films and Publications Board, said technology had helped create a huge problem. "Children now have greater access to technology that allows them to visit chat rooms where they meet paedophiles," she said. Makoela said they had an anti-child pornography campaign and were visiting schools around the country to ensure children were protected from harmful and disturbing images.

She said the Films and Publications Act was amended in 2004, making it a criminal offence to possess, create, produce, distribute, advertise, and access pornographic images involving children. Children involved in making or distributing pornographic images could be criminally charged, and face a minimum sentence of 10 years in jail.

Lynette Bosch, a specialist prosecutor in Durban, said there had been an increase in cases involving child pornography. She said they were dealing with three cases involving minors in sex videos.


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