COLOMBO – The Cabinet has approved a proposal by Justice Minister Ali Sabry to enact new legislation on ‘obscene publications’to curb child pornography in Sri Lanka. The State Information Department in a statement Wednesday (23) said the legal draftsman will be advised this week to proceed with the drafting process of the proposed Obscene Publication Prohibition Bill.
Obscene publications have seen a rapid proliferation owing to recent advances in information technology and other media.
The government said though provisions in the penal code and the Obscene Publications Ordinance already to exist to deal with child pornography, they appear to be inadequate to meet current challenges.
As a solution, the Information and Communication Agency (ICTA) and the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team have prepared a document containing the information required to draft a new bill on the advice of the Attorney General based on which the cabinet approval was given, the statement said.
-ENCL/economynext.com