Programme Director
Members of the Portfolio Committee
Members of the select committee
Chairperson of the Film and Publication Board Thoko Mpumlwana
CEO of the Film and Publication Board Yoliswa Makhasi
Representatives of the civil society organisations
Representatives of business sector, and
All the stakeholders present here today
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is my honour and a great privilege to open this crucial consultative workshop on the Classification Guidelines of the Film and Publication Board (FPB).
The role of the FPB should be understood in the context of giving content to our constitutional rights and furthering the values of a caring society and a society that celebrates its diversity. This includes the right to protect children which must be simultaneously balanced with the rights to choice and the rights to freedom of expression.
The regulatory role that is played by the FPB is an especially important function in society today in light of threats that are posed to our children by some content available on the internet, gaming and other media. The law relating to FPB makes punishable the use of children in pornography and the exposure of pornography to children.
The mandate of the FPB is to provide our society with information that enables adults to make informed decisions on published material that they choose to view, and read whilst at the same time protecting minors from being exposed to adult content. It is a task that affects us all.
This is done by attaching age restrictions, and content warning to all film, magazines and gaming material distributed in the country. The Classification Guidelines that will be discussed here today are an essential regulatory tool in carrying out this task. FPB is not a censoring body it allows citizens to be informed and forewarned of content that may be disturbing or even offensive to some people.
It is therefore vital that members of the public participate in these discussions. In this regard, this consultative workshop is an important part of the legislative review process which makes it possible for us as government to incorporate the concerns, views and values of our people into the decision-making and implementation processes of government.
The law provides that the FPB periodically engages in this process of public participation because protecting our constitutional rights necessitates on-going commitment by us all.
This meeting in the Western Cape follows similar engagements carried out in all of the provinces in our country. And these engagements will culminate in a broader national consultative process in Johannesburg later on this week from17 to 18 May 2012, which will empower us as members of the public and help us develop consensus on the best way to preserve our societal values.
As you will hear in the presentation by the FPB, the Classification Guidelines are informed by scientific research on the impact and effects of the media on children as well as public concerns with regard to what is inappropriate for children at various stages of their development.
We should not under-estimate the effects of some media content on children and instead of supporting efforts to reduce the role of the FPB, citizens and parents particularly should support extending its mandate to areas like television and even the roadside captions of newspapers.
Children are to be protected not only from exposure to disturbing and harmful films, images and games, but also from premature exposure to adult experiences and other age-inappropriate experiences. Of course age restrictions are not an exact science and vary from country to country, from community to community and household to household.
This is why we are enjoined to engage every two years with these guidelines so that our aspirations, our values and our concerns may be taken on board.
Let me therefore, conclude by wishing this meeting all the success in your discussions today and thanking all the stakeholders and the members of the public that are here for assisting us to ensure we deliver on the FPB's core function, and may wisdom reside with you all.
I thank you.
