Sir, - Further to Fionnuala O'Connor's comment about the widespread and prominent display of men's magazines in newsagents (July 18th), there is a problem which I think is far more serious. This is the distribution of magazines that appear to contain pornographic representations of children. These magazines are widely available in grocery stores and newsagents - they occupy an entire shelf at children's eye level in at least one grocery store in Cork.
Titles on display include College Girls, Barely Legal, and Teenaged Sluts. If these titles actually contain images of under-age models it is certainly a serious matter, although I presume they do not. An additional issue is that these magazines appear to condone sex with children and (at least superficially) purport to depict under-age people, near under-age people, or adults portraying juveniles for the gratification of adult purchasers. The titles alone are demeaning to girls, irrespective of the contents.
It is not right that magazines that present, promote or condone paedophilia are displayed in grocery stores or newsagents. In fact such titles should not be available at all because they breach the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998, which defines "child pornography" as "pornography involving a person who is or is depicted as being a child [under the age of 17\]". yours etc.,
Dr STUART NEILSON, York Hill, Cork.