Tougher penalties proposed for trading, possessing child porn

12.00pm

Offenders producing and trading in child pornography could get a maximum 10 years' jail under legislation the Government plans to introduce later this year.

Justice Minister Phil Goff said those caught possessing child pornography could get two years' jail under the legislation that significantly increases penalties for child pornography offences.

"The current maximum penalties, which are one year's jail for producing, copying and trading child pornography, and a $2000 fine for possessing child pornography, are clearly inadequate and fail to reflect the fact that the production of child pornography involves the actual abuse of children," Mr Goff said.

The increased penalties would bring New Zealand in line with the United Kingdom and Canada, which had maximum sentences of 10 years' jail for producing and trading in child pornography.

Mr Goff said those trading and possessing child pornography had an indirect responsibility for the abuse of children because they created a market in the images which encouraged further criminal acts.

Rapid technological advances which enabled sexual images of children to be traded anonymously and around the world at minimal costs could not have been contemplated when existing penalties were established in law 10 years ago.

Data from Manchester, England, showed that in 1995 police seized 12 child pornographic images in the form of photographs and videos. Just four years later, 41,000 child porn images were seized and all except three were on computers, with almost all of the images sourced from the internet.

"Similar increases have been observed in New Zealand and it is not uncommon for New Zealanders who trade in child pornography over the internet to have thousands of images of child abuse in their possession," Mr Goff said in a statement.

The internet meant some deterrences, such as the risk of being identified when buying child pornography from some sex shops, no longer applied.

Cabinet had endorsed increasing the penalties and a paper would go to it in July, the minister said.

Penalties for other objectionable publications, including those depicting acts of torture and sexual violence, would also be increased.

- NZPA