After more than three hours of debate, the Upper House gave the bill the nod with seven amendments.

Despite collective support for the far-reaching law, government and opposition senators disagreed on critical points during deliberations at the committee stage. This resulted in the Opposition calling for a divide twice, requiring members to vote, with the results going in favour of the government side, which had superior numbers.

Leader of Government Business Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, who piloted the bill, defined child pornography as images of a child, a person under the age of 18 years, someone appearing to be a child, engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities. The definition also relates to any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes, Lightbourne added.

Jamaica has signed and ratified the 1999 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, one of two key international conventions aimed at combating child pornography.

However, Jamaica has signed but not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. With the passage of the law the country can now ratify the convention.

See a comprehensive story the Child Pornography legislation in The Sunday Gleaner.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com