[APCPress] South Africa and online pornography: Bill sets off alarm bells in women's movement

[Karen Higgs]

NO EMBARGO

South Africa and online pornography: Bill sets off alarm bells in 
women's movement

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 6 2010 – A draft Bill proposing a ban 
on sexual content on the internet and cellphones submitted to the South 
African Department of Home Affairs in May 2010 claims to have the best 
interests of women and children in mind but has set alarm bells ringing 
in the women’s movement.

“The Bill equates women with children –taking a protectionist approach 
to the rights of women-- and promotes state censorship,” says Sally-Jean 
Shackleton, director of Women'sNet, a feminist technology organisation 
based in Johannesburg.

The Bill was drafted by Justice Alliance of South Africa (JASA), an 
anti-gay, anti-choice organisation. The countries mentioned by JASA as 
having enacted similar legislation to the proposal Bill – Yemen and the 
United Arab Emirates – both censor LGBT as well as political content 
that they deem undesirable.

Taking into consideration the social context within which laws operate 
in South Africa, where violence against lesbian women and transgender 
people is common, “a law focussing on sexual content is likely to see 
content that focuses on lesbian sexuality or even women’s sexuality as 
deviant and undesirable” says Shackleton.

“The Law Reform Commission in South Africa, tasked with investigating 
internet pornography should consider freeing up funds from the Universal 
Access Fund to promote positive content by women and for women,” says 
Shackleton. “That way we tip the balance of content in favour of more 
positive representations  of women and more diversity.”

“The Law Reform Commission’s investigation at the very least must be 
framed by considering that children and women are not the same entity. 
Children are a separate category of people that require very different 
legislative approaches than those addressing women,” Shackleton concludes.

More information: http://www.apc.org/en/node/10726/
Take Back the Tech! To end violence against women: 
http://www.apc.org/en/projects/mdg3

Sally-Jean Shackleton is director of APC member Women'sNet, South 
African partner in the Association for Progressive Communication's Take 
Back the Tech! To end violence against women initiative which is talking 
place in 12 countries worldwide and supported by the Dutch Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (DGIS).

END