South Africa's government is about to enact new laws "compelling" citizens to report anyone they suspect of producing, selling, and possessing child porn.
The new laws would make it a crime for computer technicians, cybercafes, and Internet service providers as well as "the ordinary person in the street" to just overlook possible child porn. These amendments to the country's Films and Publications Act will also hike the minimum prison sentence for child porn from five to 10 years, when President Thabo Mbeki as expected signs the new amendments into law.
The law would also be applied against South African citizens abroad who get involved with child porn.
"We want to apply the law as strict as possible," Home Affairs Deputy Minister and former youth activist Malusi Gigaba told reporters. "This means if the person is suspected of being involved in child pornography outside of South Africa, we can arrest him. It does away with the long-winded extradition process."
Gigaba also reportedly hinted the South African government would establish a national hotline by November as well as a 24-hour online policing forum.
