tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037283511791624881.post7173060242370281825..comments2024-03-20T02:49:01.256-04:00Comments on Sexual Abuse: Guest Post by Michael SetoSAJRT Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09979090355557632191noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037283511791624881.post-80796094361539911892013-08-21T16:28:56.738-04:002013-08-21T16:28:56.738-04:00Hi Michael,
there are many disturbing features o...Hi Michael, <br /><br />there are many disturbing features of child pornography case law in the US, such as the lack of definition and the disproportionate penalties. Among the most disturbing is referenced in your final comment: "the current political and social climates emphasize .. a moral abhorrence [of] any evidence that someone is sexually attracted to children..". These are therefore harassment laws devised to oppress an already stigmatized population. Condemnation on the basis of sexual orientation without regard to conduct is no longer acceptable in a civil society yet here it is enshrined in law. <br /><br />Like the previous commenter, I live in New Zealand, where US interference in our domestic privacy law is currently a topic of active discussion (following the illegal surveillance and arrest of Kim Dotcom). US foreign policy has applied similar pressure in other sovereign states, often using child pornography as a stalking horse to attack laws protecting private communications. For example, Japan has been relentlessly pressured to 'close loopholes' in its relatively permissive censorship laws, despite its having much lower rates of sexual offending (including child sexual abuse) than the US.<br /><br />I'd be interested to know whether you think US political bias and diplomatic interference increases or reduces the risk of harm to children around the world.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br />Sean P.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037283511791624881.post-89843742519324326012013-04-16T22:22:51.998-04:002013-04-16T22:22:51.998-04:00The revised view, reflected in three primary facto...The revised view, reflected in three primary factors interests me. The political and social climate is also an important consideration. In New Zealand, where I live, a recent book on prisons and culture indicates the value of looking at the range and difference that does exist globally regarding the management of crime. [http://www.amazon.com/Contrasts-Punishment-explanation-Anglophone-exceptionalism/dp/0415524733/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1W44SDC0I85V3&coliid=I24L8M6G4EMZ88]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com