Watching porn in private should not be a crime!

Watching porn in private should not be a crime!

Introduction

In 2013, Kamlesh Waswani, a petitioner, filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) petition which wanted that viewing of the pornographic content should be made as a non bailable offense.

Recently he filed a complaint stating that no action has been taken by the Home Ministry regarding the circulation of pornographic videos in the country.

This led to a major question which was imposed by the Supreme Court of India - “Is it an offense to watch a blue film within the four walls of a house”?

With the advancement in technology and internet, everyone has an easy access to the pornographic content. With no laws pertaining to Internet in place, around 20 crore porn videos are available in the Indian market. Across the world, Delhi tops the list of googling the word “porn”.

Watching porn in public can be understood as an offense but is it a major crime to watch such a video within the four walls of your room? Let's have a look!

Yes – Watching porn in private is a crime and should put you behind the bars.

Increases the crime against women – Porn has always been on demand in the Indian market. Watching the uncivilized form of pornographic videos, increases the viewer's craving for similar actions within the society. Today, most of the people have an easy access to porn through their smart phones and by watching them frequently, they get obsessed over it. When such people see women around them, they fail to control their feelings and this leads to the crime against women in form of rape or molestation.

Treats sex as a commodity – In India, the sale and distribution of pornographic material is strictly illegal. Today, people are treated as objects and they are sold in the market. Pornographic videos treat sex as a commodity and it can be exploited commercially. If the exploitation of sex is accepted in the society, then the concept of commercialization is also accepted to maximize profit.

Increases child molestation – Watching the porn is a major crime as it contributes to the increase in child molestation. In a recent study which was conducted on child molesters, around 87% of those who molested girls, admitted to the continuous use of watching pornographic videos. This facilitates child molestation in several ways. Usually, pedophiles use pornographic photos or videos to demonstrate the act that they want from the victims.

Incite kids to act out – Today, most of the parents go for work and kids are left alone in the house. In such situations, most of the kids have an easy access to the pornographic content which is available online. Kids often imitate what they have seen on television or internet. One of the studies suggests that watching a porn can incite a child to act out sexually against the other younger or smaller kids.

Increases the rate of population – As discussed earlier, watching a porn content in private can lead to an increase in crime. The crime mostly includes rape cases. These rapes can cause unwanted pregnancies and it leads to an increase in the population of our country. Banning the pornographic content in India, can indirectly reduce the rate of increasing population.

No – Watching porn in private should not be a crime

No interconnection – Till date, no scientific study has established that there is a connection between viewing porn and increasing crime. If we connect rape with porn, we should witness rape on our streets everyday. Rape is merely considered as a symptom of social chaos.

Stricter laws – India is a country which lacks behind in stricter cyber laws. Instead of declaring the viewing of porn as a crime, the government should exercise necessary actions to control it. Children below 18 years of age should not have an access to any of the pornographic content. Such sites should be blocked for kids who are below 18 years of age. Porn videos can effect the kids negatively.

Freedom – India is a democratic country and every citizen above the age of 18 should have the freedom to access the pornographic content in private. Instead of classifying it as a crime, the government should allow the functioning of pornographic websites with a control.

Sharing is a crime – Consumption of pornography is not an offense but sharing them is a great crime. According to the IT Act, if the consumer shares a pornographic content with others, he is charged under the Section 67 of the IT Act. So, till the time someone is watching it within the four walls of his room, it should not be a social concern.

Conclusion

India is one of the countries in the world which has the maximum viewership of porn websites.

Watching porn in private is not a crime as long as it is not committed by a child below 18 years of age. Every adult in our country has the right to access pornographic material but within their limits. It should not create any sort of negative impact on the society.

Yes, freedom is definitely precious but few people do not know to use it responsibly. And because of such irresponsible men in our society, the women and kids have to pay for it. To stop such situations, stricter cyber laws should come into force.

Though watching a porn in private should not be crime!