Pornography in Bangladesh

Pornography in Bangladesh is forbidden. It is against the law to watch, produce, distribute, or possess pornography, since the Pornography Control Act has been passed in 2012.[1]

A map showing pornography laws of Asia.
  Fully legal
  Partially legal, under some restrictions, or ambiguous status
  Illegal
  Data unavailable

Types of publication

Print

Erotic novels, which sometimes included illustrations, are popularly known as Choti, are sold by small roadside book shops.[2]

Internet

In 2009 a report found increase in production of child pornography.[3] In 2013 a study found that over 30 million Taka worth of pornography is downloaded per month in Cyber Cafes in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The report also found 77 percent of pornography viewers were underage.[2]

In 2015 the High Court of Bangladesh asked the government to stop pornographic material in social media.[4] In 2016 Bangladesh Government Minister, Tarana Halim, has announced plans to block internet porn sites in Bangladesh.[5] Information and telecommunications minister of 11th parliamentary government of Bangladesh, Mostafa Zabbar, blocked nearly 20,000 porn websites access in Bangladesh from November 2018 to February 2019. [6]

Legality

The Pornography Control act of 2012 criminalized pornography. The possession, distribution, production, and using of pornographic material was made illegal. The maximum punishment under current law is 10 years in jail and/or 500 thousand Taka fine[7]

Socio-cultural attitudes

The criminalization of pornography has raised questions of freedom of speech and privacy.[8] The Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Abul Kalam Azad, said "pornography has spread like a disease in Bangladesh".[9] Pornography is viewed negatively and is blamed for making children "perverts".[10]

See also

References
  1. "Anti-porn law has 7 years in jail". bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  2. "Let's talk about porn". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  3. "Studies show rise in child pornography". The Daily Star. 20 August 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  4. "Stop pornography in social media: HC". The Daily Star. 10 May 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  5. "Tarana vows to block porn sites". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  6. ‘১৫৬৩৬টি পর্ন ও ২২৩৫টি জুয়ার ওয়েবসাইট খুঁজে পেয়েছি’ [We have found 15,636 porn and 2,235 gambling websites]. Jamuna Television (in Bengali). 18 February 2019.
  7. Jillani, Shahzeb (2 January 2012). "Bangladesh cabinet approves anti-pornography law". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. "Bangladesh Pornography Ban Raises Issue of Online Privacy". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on 12 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  9. "Bangladesh Seeks Law to Criminalize Pornography". International Business Times. 2 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  10. "77pc schoolchildren watch pornography". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
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