Should India Ban Porn? Minister Milind Deora On The Debate

[rapchik]

[size=4][color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]NEW DELHI[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]The Junior Minister for Information and Technology says experts have to be consulted on whether porn is provoking sexual violence. “I think we need some consensus as a society if such material causes violence,” he said.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]One of the two suspects arrested for raping a 5-year-old in Delhi has reportedly said they watched porn on a mobile phone hours before they abducted and tortured her.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]The Supreme Court had also last week sought response from the government on a plea to block and ban porn sites on the Internet, particularly those showing child pornography, as these are a major cause of crime against women.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir issued notices to ministries of Information and Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Home Affairs and Internet Service Providers Association of India on a petition seeking to bring an anti pornography law.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]Highlights of Milind Deora’s interview [/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]I don’t have a view on whether someone watching such things (pornography), obscene to someone, can trigger violence.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]If the ministry of IT and the government decides to censor it, then we will find ways to do it.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif] We are a liberal society and we don’t want to get in the space of censoring content.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]I think that the best people who can answer that are really people like social scientists , psychologists, sociologists who understand the co-relation between watching some thing like that and it leading to violence.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]If the Supreme Court or the judiciary takes a decision and passes an order which we have to follow, the government has to follow we will obviously do that.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]US has taken a decision on violent video games after consulting social scientists.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]Need to be explore much further if pornography leading to such issues.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]I do think we have to find ways -may be keep it away from children.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]It is difficult to regulate the internet. There are ***** servers but perhaps I think we need some consensus as a society if such material causes violence, then we can find ways of curbing it.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]I am not in the ministry that decides what to ban and what not to ban.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]We only follow orders from different ministries.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]We tend to say this seems to be bad and we need to ban, it in a jerk. But it’s important to consult people involved in law and order. Its important to consult psychologists or social scientists.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]The government can initiate important legislations.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]The crux of the problem comes down to what we are doing in our homes and our families.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]I sympathize with young protesters.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]Some protesters do it cause they really want to see a safer India.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]There is an element of also we as a society protesting against our own apathy, our own inability to discuss this issues within our homes.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, sans-serif]Sack somebody, death sentence, capital punishment-these are reactions. We should put this issue as what are we as a society doing.[/font][/color][/size]