Tougher jail sentences for child porn production, exchange, and possession, as well as sexual torture images and snuff films, were passed this week by New Zealand's Parliament.
The new maximum penalties for child porn would be ten years instead of the previous one year, as far as production, trade, and distribution went. Poessession of child porn would now be up to five years behind bars, where previously it went unpunished.
The child porn toughening was the key to the entire Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Amendment Bill, according to Justice Minister Phil Goff.
"Every image represents the actual abuse of a child, and every trader and consumer of such images creates a market that encourages more such abuse," he said after the vote.
"Electronic technology has made the transfer of images of this nature around the world much easier, and the volume of this material has multiplied over the last decade."
Goff also criticized comments by an Australian writer in the international press who accused New Zealand of being a haven for child pornographers previously. "That," he said, "was a piece of sensationalist and inaccurate Kiwi bashing."
Other members of New Zealand's Parliament said the original FVPC Act, from 1993, began well but the Internet's advent changed too many situations to leave it unamended.
"It won't go far enough for many people, on the other hand it will be seen as maybe too restrictive," said National Party Member of Parliament Lindsay Tisch after the amendment vote. "But it is National's view that it does clarify some of the issues, it does deal with the matter."
The New Zealand First Party also backed the amendment strongly. "No doubt about it, and particularly for child pornography," said NZF Member of Parliament Peter Brown.
"Frankly, I'd like to throw the book at these guys and some of them I wouldn't let out again."
The first draft of the amendment called for making possession worth two years in prison, but that was changed to five years before the vote. That change was opposed by the New Zealand Green Party, though the change didn't stop the party from backing the bill.
