Tabuya maintains worrying trend on porn access in Fiji has been revealed to her by telecommunications companies

SODELPA MP, Lynda Tabuya who is part of the “Fiji Free from Porn Movement” made up of concerned parents, maintains that the worrying trend on porn access in Fiji has been revealed to her by telecommunications companies.

Following the statement by Telecom yesterday afternoon that they do not share or track online browsing activity of customers, Tabuya has told Legend FM News that she will not reveal her sources and it is up to anyone to refute the claim.

We have also sought comments from Vodafone and Digicel last night.

Tabuya is expected to make an end of the week statement in parliament, on the worrying trend of porn sites being accessed in Fiji and propose policy efforts on the issue.

Tabuya says new studies have linked porn to worsening the crime and drug epidemic and in particular the growing violence against women.

She says the highest viewing time of porn in Fiji is Sunday morning.

The SODELPA MP also says that figures released state that Fiji has been ranked in the top 10 countries in the world in terms of the percentage of searches for the word “porn”, according to figures compiled by Google Trends.

Fiji is ranked 4th in percentage for searches of the word “porn” and 9th for searches of the word “pornography” in the world.

Tabuya says a 2011 US research paper on the effects of porn on children states that the average age of first internet exposure to pornography is 11 years and this age is getting younger and younger all the time, and 90 percent of 8-16 year olds have viewed porn online; most admit that it is while doing homework.

She also says that pornography gives children unrealistic ideas about sex (often that violence is appropriate and women are to be subjugated) and the opposite gender, affecting their ability to develop healthy relationships.

They also say that porn usually depicts a woman receiving physical and verbal abuse and smiling about it.

Tabuya says the policy efforts that would complement the great work done by the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre and Ministry of Women in addressing sexual violence include :

1. The Porn Block - The porn block is an ambitious attempt by UK policy makers to restrict access to pornographic websites by underage children.

2.  Raise Awareness - Just with any social evils such as drugs, awareness campaigns must be launched to inform the public about the dangers of porn addiction.

“Fiji Free from Porn” is one such initiative.

Spearheaded by concerned fathers and mothers, the idea of the campaign is to raise awareness in Fiji on the harms of porn. 

They are working with religious leaders, traditional leaders, and schools on better education and also equipping parents with resources to help their children.

3. Centres to help porn addicts.