The pornography committee recently shook the entertainment industry when it begun making arrests of individuals found guilty of breaking the law concerning the Pornographic Act.
Pornographic Act Committee was commissioned in 2014 and is headed by Dr. Anette Kezaabu and a nine member panel, under the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity.
The committee sanctioned a number of arrests of perpetrators including local celebrities and socialites like Judith Heard and Jack Pemba who made headlines this year due to their leaked nude photos and graphic footage that continue to promote the culture of immorality and social degradation.
These apprehensions follow a nationwide campaign that brings awareness and sensitization to the various dangers that pornography consumption poses to not only the community but users as well.
The chairperson cited ‘cheap popularity’ and prostitution as some of the major causes for pornographic content circulating on social media.
“Most girls want to become famous and be known, so the quickest way for them is to to release nudes and sexual provocative images on social media.” Dr. Kezaabu told Eagle Online.
Among the culprits apprehended by police are Lillian Rukundo and Ashburg katto, who were both found guilty of producing and distributing pornographic content despite the committee’s various efforts to warn citizens against indulging in such lewd behavior publicly.
It was also revealed that some perpetrators with vast resources have managed to evade arrests by flying out of the country or bribing officials, but measures have been put in place like the enlistment of Interpol to ensure that these individuals are captured and prosecuted.
“There is no one who is untouchable by the Law, in fact Jack Pemba ran out of the country and when we put Interpol on him, he started sending lawyers and so forth but he is going to be produced and he will face the Law.” said Dr. Kezaabu who together with the Criminal Investigative Division and Uganda Communications Commission have set up a network of experts and professionals to detect and lock up producers and suppliers of pornography within the country.
However, the committee made it clear that compliance with authorities in special cases that involve unintentional/forced participation like cases such as child pornography, or victims of vengeful motives, the culprits would be allowed a plea and will not be prosecuted heavily as those with intention to distribute pornography both commercially and publicly.
Efforts have been made to ensure that anti-pornography studies are introduced into the school curriculums all over the country in order to create and sustain a pornography free future for Uganda’s generation.