Pupils suspended over porn DVD

EIGHT seventh-graders at Swakop-mund were suspended this month for watching and distributing pornographic material.

According to the school principal, one of the children brought a ‘hardcore porn DVD’ to school and gave it to some of his peers to watch.
Word got out, and the schoolbags of those children suspected to be involved were searched. The DVD was found, and eight children, aged between 14 and 15, were disciplined.
The four who had watched the DVD were suspended for two weeks, while four others, who knew of the material and passed it on, were suspended for a week.
All the children are back at school now, and are receiving professional counselling.
The DVD was apparently recorded by one of the parents.
‘This is not the first time, and we can’t guarantee that it won’t happen again,’ the headmaster told The Namibian.
‘We made an example of these kids, and we will continue to be consistent in the way we deal with such matters. What happened was unfortunate, and children need to understand the severe consequences they face if they expose themselves and others to such material.
‘We have rules. The charge was not so much that they watched the material, but rather that they exposed other innocent children to it.’
A father said parents should be aware of their children’s activities, and should be responsible for what they expose them to and allow them to do and see.
‘Today’s technology like Internet and cellphones, together with television, movies, magazines and newspapers, promotes pornography, and makes it easy to access and distribute.
‘Our kids should be taught to be responsible with these things. We as parents should also be responsible in monitoring them. There is too much stuff out there today like porn, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs that corrupt our children. We need to protect them,’ he said.

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