Guyana to introduce Cyber Crime law to prohibit child pornography

The government is taking steps to clamp down on persons engaging in child pornography or sharing nude images through electronic means when the Cyber Crime Bill becomes law.

The bill , that is yet to be tabled Parliament, was published in the Official Gazette.

“A person who uses a computer system to arrange a meeting with a child with the intent of abusing or engaging in sexual activity with a child or producing child pornography, whether or not he takes any steps to effect such a meeting, commits an offence,” the bill states.

It also notes that a person convicted by a Magistrates’ court for using a computer to engage in child pornography could be fined GYD$5 million (One Guyana dollar =US$0.008 cents) and imprisonment for five years. If found guilty by a Judge and Jury, an offender could be fined GYD$10 million and jailed for 10 years.

The Child Protection Act 2009 already prohibits the sale or giving of obscene books or other written matter, obscene objects, pornographic videos or photographs, through electronic means such as a computer or cellular phone to children.

The Cyber Crime Bill also makes a criminal offence -  the capturing, storage and transmission through a computer system the image of a person’s genitals, pubic area, buttocks or breast without his consent.