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1/31/07

Portugal News Online: SEX AND THE PORTUGESE: Portugal to decide over video nasties

For the complete report from The Portugal News Online click on this link

SEX AND THE PORTUGESE: Portugal to decide over video nasties

Proposals to be put forward by European Union justice ministers will give Portugal the legal right to protect children from violent and sexually explicit videos by imposing legal sanctions on the creators, producers and their sales outlets.

Speaking to the AFP news agency, EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini recognised that each member state will decide which video games are violent. Its not up to Brussels to decide. But the protection of children cannot have borders. He added that the current 2003 self-regulating system used by the industry to classify videos according to the levels of sex and violence in 14 EU countries, including Portugal, is failing.

The weakness of the self-control system is the lack of control when selling video games. It is very difficult to check the identity and age of the young people who are buying the video games. However, retailers should be liable to punitive measures, Frattini said, while at the same time calling on the 27 EU nations to increase their controls.

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