SINGAPORE : Some local bookstores are selling or renting out
comic books containing sexually explicit content to students.
A parent told Channel NewsAsia her teenage daughter started having
sexual fantasies after reading such comics.
On the covers, they look just like any other romance comic
books.
But what the books contain shocked the mother of a 16-year-old
daughter.
Madam Tan said: "There is nudity and love-making scenes. The themes
revolve around falling in love, sex and there is no other value in
the content."
Mdm Tan, who did not want to be identified, said her daughter had
picked up the book from a comic book shop at a shopping mall in the
west.
What got her worried was when her daughter's diary entries later
revealed she wanted to imitate the acts of some characters in the
comics.
"If she hadn't controlled herself and did what she fantasised, what
kind of person would she be? What would the consequences be?" Mdm
Tan asked.
A MediaCorp News reporter visited the shop and arranged for a
secondary school student to pretend to buy the comic books.
"The shopkeeper knew there was sexual content but he did not ask
for my identity card or my age. I was able to buy or rent the comic
book," the student said.
"If there's an age limit, say 18 and above, as with the movies,
then we will feel safe allowing our children to visit such stores,"
Mdm Tan said.
The comic books cost between $2 and $5, and are easily found at
neighbourhood comic bookstores.
The Media Development Authority said comics which contain nudity,
coarse language or explicit violence are banned.
Under the Undesirable Publications Act, anyone who rents, sells or
exhibits obscene comics can be fined up to a maximum of $10,000 or
jailed up to two years or both.
More than 1.5 million publications are imported every year.
To facilitate their clearance, imported publications, including
comics are screened by the importers in accordance with the
guidelines issued to them by the Media Development Authority
(MDA).
The importers are expected to consult the MDA when in doubt.
The guidelines on comics are stringent as these publications target
the young.
Hence, comics are disallowed if they contain nudity, coarse
language, sexual scenes and explicit violence.
The MDA is supportive of the need to protect children from comics
with offensive content and would advise parents to supervise the
reading materials of their children and to contact the MDA at 6372
2807 if they come across undesirable comics.
Such feedback is important and useful as it helps the MDA to
monitor the situation and take appropriate action.
The MDA conducts regular checks on bookshops to ensure that
publications comply with their guidelines.
Locally published comics are also regulated through content
guidelines.
A publisher may have its permit cancelled for breach of the
guidelines. - CNA