Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) have added their voice to the opposition to TopTV’s bid to establish channels dedicated to adult content.
WMACA says the sexual content that will be shown on TopTV’s pornography channels risks being exposed to children, which is harmful and could hinder their “healthy development”.
The group joins the ranks of many organisations, particularly religious, opposing TopTV’s proposal.
Anton Myburg, a pastor, previously told HumanIPO it would be unconstitutional if the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) approves TopTV’s application.
Hettie Britzz, wife of a South African gospel singer and a rape survivor, called for the support of the boycott against TopTV by Christian organisations.
“For us at WMACA the public testimony of women, interviews with pornography users and sex offenders, and various other researchers’ work, have led us to conclude that pornography can be an important factor in shaping a male-dominant view of sexuality, be used to initiate victims and break down their resistance to unwanted sexual activity, contribute to a user’s difficulty in separating sexual fantasy and reality, and provide a training manual for abusers,” said WMACA in a statement.
Furthermore, the WMACA believe TopTV’s pornographic channels could potentially ruin the sexual development of children.
“Children are also often affected badly by broken and or dysfunctional marriages as a result of pornography used by a partner.”
WMACA added children are increasingly being exposed to extreme pornography at younger ages.
However, TopTV will put safety measures in place to protect children from the content.
The three adult content channels, if approved by ICASA, will feature as a separate bouquet.
Furthermore Top TV will only air the adult content between 8pm and 5am and will be age restricted eighteen. Every thirty minutes while viewing, subscribers will need to enter a PIN code, which Top TV believes will minimise exposure to children.
Top TV is still waiting to hear ICASA’s ruling on the matter. The broadcaster approached the authority last month with their application for the channels.
