While the government is powerless to monitor images people send to each other by
phone, Minister of Women's Affairs Ung Kantha Phavy told a press briefing that
it should shut down indecent websites.
"We ask the government to block ISPs who are used to transfer pornographic
images, show sex sites and chat sites," she said, speaking after talks with
legislators and non-government organisations on pornography.
She said each government ministry should also educate its own officials about
the inappropriateness of sending such images.
Fuel was added to the media fire late last month when a man was arrested for
allegedly forcing a woman to take off her clothes while being filmed in return
for not being sexually assaulted. The four-minute movie was quickly distributed
around the capital via mobile phones.
"The increase in the distribution of the pornographic pictures to youth has
severely affected the value, honour and dignity of Cambodian women and family,
social, cultural and Khmer traditional values," the women's affairs ministry
said in a separate statement.
In a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Ung Kantha Phavy described the
phenomenon as "a state of emergency because if there are no measures to crack
down quickly, more women will become victims".
The minister also urged the government to close shops that play pornographic
videos and ban the import of inappropriate DVDs and CDs.
In February Hun Sen ordered that pornographic magazines be removed from
newsstands, arguing that they posed a danger to society.
AFP
