Chief censor wants to work with churches

GREATER collaboration with churches is needed to address youth issues in the country.
Chief censor Jim Abani made the call in his presentation at a Church Development Council meeting and information sharing in Alotau, Milne Bay, recently.
The two-day council meeting (April 18-19) provided the opportunity for the council and line agencies within the Religion, Youth and Community Development Ministry to discuss and find ways to address issues affecting youths in the country, with one area of concern being the access to unsuitable content via the internet.
Abani invited churches to partner with his office to address some of the pressing youth issues.
“The Office of Censorship can collaborate with the churches in alignment with our shared values, such as promoting moral standards, ethical behaviour and protecting the community from harmful content,” he said.
Abani said his office and churches could collaborate on initiatives that were aimed at monitoring and censoring content that went against religious beliefs or societal norms agreed by both parties.
“The advances in technology over the past few years have brought about new challenges and my office needs strong partners like the churches to address the issues that confront our society, especially educating the younger generation on the dangers of harmful unsuitable content on the internet,” he said.
Abani said they could work together to develop policies and guidelines regarding censorship.