GEAROID MADDEN,
Madam, - Paedophilia is a dark side of humanity and demands unequivocal condemnation. But we must be extremely careful that this condemnation does not cross the boundary into hysteria.
Kathryn Holmquist (Education & Parenting, February 18th) discussed the exploitation of under-age sexuality. Although Ms Holmquist has been important in highlighting the realities of paedophilia and ensuring it stays on the agenda, I feel I must take issue with some of the points raised.
The article states that she has no issue with lesbianism; such a declaration does not provide amnesty against the charge. If the kissing couple in the t.A.T.u. video had been a 14-year girl and a 15-year-old boy, would we be witnessing same reaction? The fact that the band's manager has expressed disturbing views on under-age sex has no bearing on the argument about the suitability of the video. To state that the possession of the image of the girls kissing would be illegal if it were obtained on the Internet is entering the grounds of hysteria. Should we therefore imply that public kissing by teenage boys and girls under the legal age of consent for sexual intercourse is somehow illegal? And if so, is it the act or our viewing of it that is criminal?
The assertion that Britney Spears trades on the behaviour of an under-age porn star was again hysterical and only served to blur our reaction to paedophilia. It is true that her sexuality is used by the marketing machine, but sexuality is central to music, art and expression, as it is to humanity.
While we need to protect against paedophilia and the exploitation of children we must not retreat to portraying a sanitised, unrepresentative reality. We should have learned from the past that this is the veil that allows paedophiles to prosper.- Yours, etc.,
GEAROID MADDEN, Edward Court, Tralee, Co Kerry.