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Govt forms task force to tackle child pornography as millions of cases recorded
Authorities uncovered 5.5 million cases of child pornography in the past four years, putting Indonesia among the top-five countries globally and top two within ASEAN, where child pornography cases are abundant.
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Stock illustration of pornography materials in mobile phone. (Shutterstock/File)
The government has revealed that Indonesia faces an increasingly threatening child pornography problem with 5.5 million cases recorded in the span of four years, involving disabled, elementary schoolchildren and even those from early-childhood education, forcing the government to form a new task force to tackle the issue.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Hadi Tjahjanto announced the move in a press conference on Friday, while citing the aforementioned data from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) report.
The figures put Indonesia among the top-five countries globally and top two within ASEAN, where child pornography cases are abundant.
“Disabled [children], students in elementary and secondary schools, Islamic boarding schools and even students from early-childhood education have all fallen victim [to child pornography]. The perpetrators are usually someone the children know and are close to,” Hadi told reporters, adding that child pornography was a “a very serious problem” in the country.
The minister was well aware that the record did not reflect the actual number of child pornography cases, since many victims might remain silent for fear of shame, not to mention that victims of sexual violence often receive threats and intimidation from their abusers.
“I’m sure [the country’s child pornography] problem is an iceberg phenomenon,” he said.
