China is carrying out a nationwide campaign to crack down on
phone sex services, paralleling another sweeping operation against
Internet pornography, Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong
said in Beijing Tuesday.
The move, started in late July and lasting through October, was
jointly launched by a number of central government departments: the
Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of?Public
Security, the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China, the State Administration of Press and
Publications, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce,
the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supreme People's Court and
the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council.
"With the rapid development of the paid call service market in
China, some lawbreakers make use of this form to spread obscene
information and even conduct prostitution," said Wang during a
teleconference with local leaders across the nation.
"This depraves social morals, and especially brings great harm
to the country's young minds," said Wang, adding that the move
would clean up the country's paid call service and ensure a
wholesome development of the market.
Wang ordered local governments across the country to shut down
phone sex operators and severely punish the responsible
organizations by October 1.
After that, all local governments are required to submit reports
on their actions in the campaign while continuing the crackdown and
establishing a long-term mechanism for supervision and
regulation.
Also during the summer, China launched another sweeping campaign
to crack down on Internet pornography. So far, police have closed
down about 700 porn websites and arrested 329 suspects.
Porn websites have proliferated in recent years, harming the
physical and mental health of the young people, according to the
Ministry of Public Security.
The campaign mainly aims to crack down on websites offering lewd
pictures, videos, movies and articles, as well as those that
attract Internet users to join in pornographic activities online or
in real life.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2004)