With paedophiles and other sex devils using technology, particularly Internet chat rooms and instant messengers, to lure persons into sex traps, calls have come for legislation to protect minors and greater public education on technology.

Mary Clarke, the Children's Advocate, says, "There certainly needs to be more regularisation of the IT (information technology) sector, especially as it relates to children."

Similarly, Errol Anderson, president of the Jamaica Computer Society, says he would support legislation that would make criminal, persons who pose as teenagers in chat rooms and on instant messengers in order to lure minors into sexual encounters.

"Such law is something we need to enact as soon as we can," says Mr. Anderson.

He believes children make up a vast number of Internet users, and notes that a lot of them are often unsupervised.

"That is why I believe a public education campaign is also important. Parents need to play a more active role in what their children are doing on the Internet.

"Children are often the Internet-savvy ones, but there are persons who will disguise their identities with a view of hurting the child," cautions Mr. Anderson.

Ms. Clarke, too, believes parents and children must be armed with information on technology.

"Many of us don't know enough about technology. As much as possible, both parents and children need to be properly educated about such technologies in order to make informed decisions," Ms. Clarke says.

Even persons with business interests in chat rooms say they would support any legislative move that is aimed at protecting children.

Mark, for example, who owns and operates three chat-room sites which he says are not dating but "social-networking sites", is not averse to legislation governing chat rooms. "The business will benefit from such legislation," Mark says, arguing that that would make parents feel comfortable in allowing their children to surf the Internet and interact with others on such sites.

Both the United States and Britain have enacted laws aimed at protecting children on the Internet. The United Kingdom's Home Office in 2003 made it a criminal offence for a person to pose as a teenager in Internet chat rooms. It condemns adults befriending children with the intention of abuse to five years in jail. Such persons are nabbed by law enforcement officers who police the Internet and pretend to be minors.

Jamaica has commenced the drafting of legislation to protect minors on the Internet through a proposed Child Pornography Act. This proposed act will make it illegal to produce, possess or circulate pornography materials involving children.

Canute Brown, director of justice reform in the Ministry of Justice, is urging members of the public to make submissions on this bill, which is currently currently work in progress.

Not real name.