Sharon Keogan urges renaming child pornography as abuse material

The Senators who have brought this bill to its improvement forward, Senators Flynn, Higgins, Rowan and Black, their work here is not just legislative, it is moral, it is principled and it is necessary. For too long our laws have used the term child pornography, a term that frankly sanitises the horror of what is being done to children. It is a term that implies consensual actors creating content of their own violation and for their own economic gain. In the case of child pornography, nothing could be further from the truth. So let the law be very clear on this point. There is no such thing as consensual pornography involving a child. What we are talking about is abuse, plain and simple. And this amendment calls it what it is, child sexual abuse material. I welcome the clarity this amendment and this bill will bring. It is not just a change in language, it is a change in how we frame the crime. It centres the child, not the content. It centres the harm, not the medium. And that is a shift we should all support. I also want to acknowledge the foresight in how this amendment has been drafted. It ensures legal continuity. It ensures that no case, no prosecution, no victim is left behind because of a change in terminology. That is responsible law making. That is compassionate law making. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of digital, generated and artificial material in the definition. We are living in a time when technology is moving faster than our laws. This amendment ensures that our protections for children are not stuck in the past. And let us be very clear on another reason why this is important. The sexual predators who deal in this abusive material are no fools. Sadly, the market for this content is all too profitable. And those who profit off the suffering and abuse of minors are always innovating new ways to stay one step ahead of the law. Therefore, it is our duty as lawmakers to stay one step ahead of them. Hopefully, this updated definition will help orient the focus of our law enforcement towards the online dimension of sexual abuse. And hopefully, we will follow up our change of language with fresh action and a fresh resolve to clamp down on it. It is very much needed. For example, only earlier this month, the journal broke a story that thousands of images of Irish Irish women were being shared on an online forum without either their consent or knowledge. Among them were many images of young girls, minors, in their school uniforms, with users on this site sharing their names, ages and locations. The worrying part of this story was, firstly, the fact that it had to be discovered and brought to light by a news website and not the Gardaí themselves. Secondly, the fact that the Gardaí were slowed to respond publicly and that the forum was only removed after media exposure. The lack of immediate enforcement action raises serious concerns about our state's capacity to respond to online abuse. Hopefully, this update and expansion of our legal definitions will help to correct that. I have always said that the protection of children and minors must be above politics. And today, I see the principle in action. Senators from different backgrounds, different perspectives coming together to do what is right. This is where the Seánad works best. So, I say to Senators who brought this forward, thank you for your commitment to protecting children. I am proud to support this amendment and I urge all my colleagues in the Government to do the same. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.