Availability of sex pages in Internet cafes worry vietnamese parents
A stony-faced woman enters the obstetrics hospital, followed by her
12-year-old daughter who is two months pregnant. Fearful teardrops
still linger on the girl's young and inexperienced face, as she faces
the consequences of times sharing sex pictures with a boy she got
acquainted with through online chatting.
Many parents cannot imagine that connecting their home computers or
paying for information technology training courses for their children,
in the hope that they will be in tune with modern developments or to
make study more beneficial, could actually expose them to illicit
activities. Instead of searching for useful knowledge after school
hours in internet cafes, many youngsters have dropped out of class and
spend dozens of hours surfing the net for depraved websites, whose
addresses are easily found.
Vietnam has set a priority of developing information technology. By
late 2001, the country had over 200,000 Internet subscribers. Online
services are mushrooming in major cities and provinces such as Hanoi,
Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Binh Duong. To draw in
customers, services have slashed their access prices from
VND10,000-12,000 (66-79 US cents) per hour to a mere VND2,000-3,000
(13-19 cents). Sex pages are readily available, despite the
government's latest ban on depraved websites.
A survey of internet services indicates that up to 90% of access to
sex pages are by pupils and students. Web pages with provocative
footage of XXX rated films, images of nudists or advertising sex tools
have especially provoked the curiosity of juveniles in this
Communist-ruled country, where the topic of sex remains taboo. Parents
often avoid talking to their children about it, while safe sex lessons
have not been added to school curricula as it still faces fierce
objection from cultural officials who persist with the idea that it
will trigger widespread sexual activity.
However, accessing sex websites is becoming a trend among young
Vietnamese.
"It's normal. Anyone who does not know of such pages would be
considered to be internet illiterate. I would be scorned if I did not
have a special folder in my computer containing sex pics to exchange
with my friends. Chatting is as old as the hills, but surfing sex
pages is stylish," said M.H, a student from the National Economics
University.
"Initially it was only for curiosity, but later I became addicted. My
parents bought a computer for me but I prefer sitting in internet
cafes where I will not be watched," said N.H from the Chu Van An
Secondary School.
A lack of knowledge about safe sex plus the availability of sex
websites have contributed to an increasing number of abortions in
recent years. The Ministry of Health reports that 1.2-1.4 million
abortions are carried out each year, of which nearly 300,000 are for
under-age girls.
Local internet service providers have set up firewalls to prevent the
penetration of depraved pages but, in reality, they do little.
Sociologists are urging responsible organizations to conduct regular
inspections of internet cafes to close down those who violate
regulations, while parents and schools should increase guidance of
children in healthy activities.
Under prevailing laws, those who take advantage of the internet to
popularize depraved or reactionary information will be fined VND10-20
million ($ 662-1,324), or even face criminal prosecution.
Xinhua news agency - May 16, 2002.
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