By ELIZABETH VUVU
WOMAN, both married and single including school girls, were being used to produce pornographic materials in the East New Britain, a province where a high rate of sex related crimes was a concern for authorities.
This bold claim was made by Bernie Benson, a top aide to Attorney General and Justice Minister Dr Allan Marat, who said he has gathered evidence of this in an investigation that is underway. Benson began the investigations last Friday.
He made copies of pornographic materials he has gathered available to reporters of The National based at Kokopo to view.
Mr Benson said according to his findings so far, there has been a lot of pornographic materials produced in ENB including still pictures, videos on compact dics, and pamphlets.
He said identities of those involved in the production of these materials have been established, but are being withheld until investigations were completed.
Mr Benson claimed he had collected thousands of pornographic pictures of mostly local young girls and women, most of whom were married, whom he was able to identify.
He said among these women was a senior public servant, who would be referred to other law enforcing bodies for further investigation.
Mr Benson said modern technology had made the production of pornography very cheap, convenient, and easy.
With digital videos, cameras and mobile phone cameras, shots are being taken and downloaded onto computers which are then produced into slides and video and are burnt onto VCDs, he said.
He said slide pictures are printed out from the computer and the pages bound to be sold as a pornographic pamphlet or magazine.
Benson said their investigations have zeroed in on an expatriate whom they believe was behind the production of most of them materials.
Mr Benson’s investigation will establish whether these girls and women are willing partners, or induced with drugs or alcohol and forced into producing these materials.
He will be compiling a full report on his findings which will then be presented to Dr Marat.
The porn probe comes at a time when leaders have expressed concern about the rise in the level of sex crimes in the province.
On Monday, Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane said he was concerned about the high number of incest and child sexual abuses in the province.
He released figures, which showed that 96 cases were reported in 2006 and 2007 in the province.
Just two weeks into 2008, eight cases were already reported to police.