PUPILS ABSCOND CLASSES TO WATCH PORN

Malawi could be swallowed up in a sea of immorality where promiscuity, rape and sexual abuse cases are increasingly common and women are degraded as sex objects, after it has emerged that children as young as 7 are exposed to pornographic movies in various video showrooms across the country, a psychologist has warned.

Chiwoza Bandawe, a Clinical Psychologist who is also an Associate Professor at College of Medicine was reacting to established reports by Face of Malawi of children as young as 7 occupying ringside seats to watch pornographic movies in broad daylight in Mbayani Township in Blantyre.

The development has shocked the Malawi Censorship Board whose mandate is to wipe off such material from the country although in recent years their work has become increasingly challenged due to old-fashioned laws and the fast world of technology where the internet offers easily accessible porn.

Random checks in Blantyre townships, established that many video halls are still showing pornographic movies despite government banning such material for both domestic and commercial use. In Mbayani, many children were found patronizing the adult contents and the owners seemed not to care.

Bandawe bemoaned such behaviour calling it totally unacceptable as it tends to corrupt children’s minds particularly from age 6 to 8 who are more vulnerable.

“Pornography creates false impression of what love and sexuality is because whatever we see or watch makes an imprint in our minds. This could be so devastating in the mind of a child since children would want to experiment what they watch,” he said.

Apart from it being a recipe for moral decay, the psychologist also said, “pornography degrades women as objects of sexual pleasure which may lead to rape and sexual abuse cases in the society.”

“Furthermore, pornography is addictive. Children may start with soft porn then hard core and more explicit types of porn. They may get locked into the behavior where they feel guilty but are unable to stop. The result is poor performance at school, callous behaviours, justification of aggression and low productivity for the nation as a person who is addicted to porn is often robbed of time to work.

Responding to the issue, Cultural Standards Officer for Censorship Board, Alikuti Mazibuko says the board is shocked and overwhelmed by the scale of the problem in the country. She could not confirm the number of cases but said it is very high.

“We are shocked and appalled that some people continue to frustrate our efforts by going a step further to expose children to lewd contents. Such people should know that they will be arrested. Pornography is a criminal offence by law and no one is allowed to possess or watch, be it for domestic or commercial use,” she said.

Pornography has gained foothold in Malawi largely because of the internet where people access and download pornographic materials in their phones and laptops without any form of control. Mazibuko also blames the 1968 Censorship Act where, if one is convicted of the crime, he or she can get away with a fine as low as MK 5, 000 (about US $13) which she said is unduly lenient for a crime of such magnitude.

“This is why we are lobbying for the yet-to-be tabled, Classification Bill which among other things will stiffen the penalty of the crime,” she said.

Apart from strict limits to curb the malpractice, psychologist Bandawe said government through the board and other channels should intensify awareness campaigns to sensitize citizens on the dangers of porn.

Censorship board issues licenses to video showrooms, confiscates DVDs and lewd materials through inspections often after being tipped, as well as conducts awareness campaigns, but Mazibuko said they do that, “as often as resources are available.”