By John-Henry Westen
LONDON, March 14, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The head of the organization which represents international police forces in dealing with online child pornography has defended his permission for a representative of the adult porn industry to take part in a conference sponsored by his organization. Last month, former Ulster Unionist Party assemblyman Dr. Esmond Birnie, criticized the conference held in Belfast Northern Ireland for having duped local authorities into supporting it financially without letting them know the adult porn industry would participate.
Jim Gamble, CEO of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and Chairman of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) responded to Birnie and defended the controversial decision.
Attending the conference was Joan Irvine, a representative of the ASACP, a front group for the hardcore porn industry which purports to be advocating against child pornography. “Adult Sites Advocating Child Protection” (ASACP) was established in 1996 but soon changed its name to “Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection” to draw less attention to itself.
Gregory Carlin of the Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition referred to ASACP as representing “a major pornography cartel”. Carlin told LifeSiteNews.com that the notion of the multi-billion dollar porn industry being concerned with child porn, according to activists against human trafficking, is a fiction. In fact, he said, “the ‘schoolgirl’ genre of adult ‘hard core’ entertainment is an important part of the business model.”
The facts verify his concerns as the titles of those websites which are approved by ASACP include numerous references to “teen” and “boys”.
Explaining his decision to permit the adult porn industry into the child protection conference Gamble stated in his letter: “We consider this to be a responsible approach from a commercial organisation associated with the Internet.”
While Carlin insists that anti-trafficking groups have long known of the connection between adult and child pornography, Gamle states, “we cannot endorse any association drawn between adult pornography and child sex abuse.”
“The first in the UK is a lawful, legitimate industry with morally questionable content,” says Gamble. Adding, “However, when lawful, it involves consensual sexual activity between one or more adults. Nothing could be further removed from the horrendous crimes which involve the rape and sexual exploitation of innocent young children.”
In a press release reacting to Gamble’s letter, Dr. Birnie, a leading academic, said, “I am glad that Mr Gamble’s letter to me at least concedes that there were pornographers at this conference. He tries to draw a tight distinction between the “adult” industry and the exploitation of children. I fear, and suggest that experience bears this out, that that industry inevitability involves exploitation too and also acts to entice children into illegal activity.”
Dr. Birnie also noted that the office of the Prime Minister on 12 January 2006 established a direct relationship between adult and child pornography.