[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 11, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H4968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the plague of child pornography is a global
program in need of a global response. A study released recently by the
International Center for Missing and Exploited Children paints a sad
and sobering picture.
Of the 184 countries studied, more than half have no laws addressing
child pornography at all, and in most of the countries, the existing
laws are inadequate.
This perverse form of exploitation horribly scars its victims, not
only in the actual production of this sordid smut, but their pictures
are then broadcast to the world online.
At a meeting recently of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, I offered a resolution on behalf of Chairman
Chris Smith and the U.S. delegation, calling on the nations of the
world to address this growing problem.
The resolution calls on lawmaking bodies of the world to take a hard-
line stance against this horrific practice and enact stiff criminal
penalties for production and consumption.
I am pleased the resolution was unanimously adopted. Child
pornography is a despicable business, and this resolution is a positive
first step in the fight against it.
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