Raphael - Galatea
If you were not shocked by the kiddy porn depicted by the image above I am sure you can be shocked by what is going on in Australia right now.
Alison Croggon, a writer from Australia covers the case of the photographer Bill Henson. He provoked a huge controversy when he had an exhibition with some nude images of a 13-year-old girl. His work were confiscated by the Australian police and the debates were similar to the famous Romanian pink pony case. Even if, as in the Romanian case, New South Wales Department of Public Prosecutions recommended that no charges should be made and the Office of Film and Literature Classification declared the images "mild and justified" and gave them a PG rating some fucked effects are coming out now.
So, the Australian story continues: the Labor Party proposes some new laws in reaction to the case, with a generous purpose of protecting the kids from being indecently represented in the arts. It is not only about photographs but about the depiction of those under 18 in any medium – painting, performance, literature and so on. I hope Eastern European politicians won't get inspired and forbid all plastic toys, crosses, violent scenes and other evil ingredients in art. But seriously, the image of the child is used once more for other political purposes than protecting someone: control, surveillance and total censorship.
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