Alain Jeannot
6 November 2007
Port Louis — Though she had been threatened by her torturers, the young girl was tired of carrying the heavy secret on her mind for ever.
She finally opened the Pandora's box in front of the police. Detailed accounts of sexual cruelty perpetrated in her own abode, by her own brothers and friends of theirs, exploded in the nation's face. It is neither surprising that such a victim is underperforming at school, nor does it come as shocking news that pornographic materials and alcohol are said to have contributed to the unspeakable acts.
Though all those who are exposed to pornographic materials and alcohol do not end up committing such offences, the negative influence of those evils cannot be underestimated.
If they go unchecked, they surely will lead our country to moral poverty. We cannot blind our face and consider it as just another isolated case. 9/11 was also an exceptional happening but it has changed the face of the world. Moreover sexual offences associated with pornography and alcohol are common features nowadays though they are not as explosive as this one.
Progress in technology does not seem to have been followed by equal progress in controlling its drifts. Hence sexually explicit deviant materials are now easily accessible be it on the Internet or through black market disc sales. They can be shared through an armada of relatively cheap devices such as multimedia mobile phones, personal computers and DVD players.
In the early 80s one had to pass the 18-year old check to be allowed in a movie theatre, which was screening a sexually explicit film. It was quite a daring adventure to try getting in if you were a minor! Now, you only need a DVD player and TV to watch in the intimacy of your room the film of your choice. In September last, were five students not caught by the police watching pornographic movies watered with alcoholic drinks in a house while they should have been at school?
Moreover the numerous cases of sexually explicit movies circulating on mobile phones are only but a regrettable common feature among our youth, some of whom even feature in those films! Do our youngsters know that the law states that "Any person who uses any information and communication service, including telecommunications service for the transmission or reception of a message which is grossly offensive, or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character shall commit an offence"?
These are, of course, no excuse for the rising rate of sexual offences among teenagers but can they reasonably be fully dissociated from all of the 57 cases reported in 2006? Let's be honest for a while, pornography portrays a distorted image of sexuality negatively influencing youngsters at the very genesis of their sexual awakening. Built upon such erroneous perceptions, their sexuality is bound to express itself in wrong and sometimes destructive ways, especially when alcohol paves the way!
Would it not therefore be desirable if more discipline and control be exercised at home and at school besides developing an adequate sexual education, which takes into account the threats of modernity? Would an education in values and morality not help in counteracting these insanities, which are ruining our society?
Up to us to decide and act accordingly. Our kids' safety and destiny depends on our capacity to rightly take responsibility. It's only at that price that we will be safe from pornography induced cruelty.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 L'Express. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
