Films and Publications Amendment Bill to be tabled to the National Assembly for adoption
The office of the Deputy Minister of Communications and the Film and Publication Board (FPB) welcomes the adoption of the Films and Publications Bill (Bill) by the Portfolio Committee of Communications. The Portfolio Committee deliberated clause-by-clause on the Bill and adopted the report to recommend the Bill to the National Assembly for debate and final adoption.
“The Bill is a welcoming development during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. It is a decisive step towards curbing the scourge of gender-based violence”, says Deputy Minister of Communications, Ms Tandi Mahambehlala.
She continues to say, “The Bill seeks to protect children from exposure to illegal content distributed online and exposure to harmful content (pornography, sex, violence, etc) online as premature exposure could have adverse psychological and behavioural impact on children”.
The Bill demands that Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) block all websites hosting refused classification content. The said content includes child abuse and child sexual abuse material, depiction of bestiality, material containing excessive violence or sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug abuse, and/or material that advocates the committing of terrorist acts.
It also reaffirms the FPB’s role to protect any persons who would have consented during the production of content, especially sex, but does not agree that such content be distributed for public consumption. Victims of fake news or revenge porn will be protected by the Bill and are eligible to approach the FPB for recourse.
“The Bill has catered for the establishment of the Enforcement Committee (EC) to provide for speedy resolutions in certain cases that fall under the EC including issuing fines. Of course there will be cases where the FPB will work directly with our justice courts for prosecution”, says FPB’s Acting Chief Operations Officer, Ms Abongile Mashele.
She continues to say, “We welcome the establishment of the Enforcement Committee as FPB currently only has monitoring powers over content distributors, but cannot ensure enforcement of the Films and Publications Act”.
For media enquiries:
Miss Manala Botolo
Email: manala.botolo@fpb.org.za
Cell: 082 860 6748
Mr. Chrispin Phiri
Cell: 083 220 9691
