While cyber cafes in this northeastern state do not have a mechanism to check
the surfing of adult websites by minors, the direct to home (DTH) services
coming from Myanmar offer at least two to three pornographic channels. Chinese
adult DVDs can also be easily acquired from the market for about Rs. 100.
But the Mizoram government doesn't have a cell to prevent underage groups from
frequenting these sites and channels. The home department has sent some
officials for training in cyber patrolling.
'We don't have any law prohibiting underage children from using cyber cafes or
a law that makes cyber cafe owners check underage groups from surfing these
elements, nothing mandatory made for the owners,' said Lalthlamuana, deputy
secretary of the information and communication technology (ICT) wing of the
Mizoram Planning Department.
'The home department has to look after these problems; we have already given a
proposal in this regard,' he told reporters.
Internet cafes in Aizawl are usually thronged by minors on the pretext of
playing computer games. The owners also don't care much about the websites
these children visit as monitoring of the sites could affect their business.
'If they pay the bills, it's fine with me. They do their own business with the
computers and it is not always good for my business to intrude or monitor what
sites they click on to,' said Sangtea, a cyber cafe owner in Aizawl.
But he agreed that underage visitors do surf objectionable content in the
Internet parlours. An owner of a broadband cyber cafe and gaming parlour here,
Chhanhima, said above 40 percent of his costumers were underage children.
'I can't ask my customers each and every time not to visit porn sites, it's
like risking my business, so I just keep quiet. I don't want to know what
they're doing once they sit,' he said.
The ICT Wing circulated some dos and don'ts of cyber technology in a bid to
educate the older population. Awareness pamphlets and articles were also
published in several newspapers.
'At least the government should make it mandatory to put up parental filter at
each cyber cafe,' Lalthlamuana said.
Apart from the cyber world, DTH services coming from Myanmar are further adding
to the problem.
'Most of the satellite dish services from Myanmar have at least two or three
hardcore porn channels,' said a dealer on condition of anonymity. Surprisingly,
non-governmental organisations and religious bodies have not raised their voice
on this issue.
