Names and pictures of Dutch paedophiles published online
Death threats are just one of the reported consequences of the controversial step taken by a Dutch campaign group in publishing the names, addresses and - in some cases - photographs of paedophiles on the internet despite rules in the Netherlands banning such a move.
The group in question, Stopkindersex (Stop Child Sex), has hosted its site in the US to get around the legal ban in the Netherlands. The site was flooded this weekend by people anxious to learn if they are living in the vicinity of a convicted paedophile.
Meanwhile, a small Dutch political grouping - commonly known as the 'paedo party' - which is campaigning for more tolerance towards paedophile sex, has filed a complaint with the police against the website, arguing that it violates the country's privacy laws.
One person mentioned on the website, who was found not guilty by a Dutch court of the charges brought against him and is awaiting the appeals case, had the windows of his home smashed in on Saturday by a person or persons unknown. A convicted paedophile, who has served time in jail, told the press he has repeatedly received death threats over the telephone.
Privacy law
On Friday it was reported that the Stop Child Sex foundation had launched a website featuring the names, addresses and photographs of some 20 (alledged) Dutch paedophiles. Dutch privacy laws prohibit the publication of personal details of people who have been convicted.
The foundation aims to sidestep this law by having the site hosted in the United States. It has also published a statement calling on people to refrain from using violence against paedo-sexuals. Dutch public prosecutor Diederik Greive told the ANP news agency that the legal authorities are not planning to take immediate action against the website.
It may prove to be hard to get a name removed from the website, criminal law professor Anton van Kalmthout of Tilburg University told Radio Netherlands Worldwide. "It is up to the people whose privacy is being violated to take legal action, but the problem is: against whom? In previous cases of this kind it has proved very difficult to trace exactly who is behind such websites."
And, refuting the claims of the website, Van Kalmthout adds, "One does not protect children by chasing paedo-sexuals. I looked at the site and saw someone who was convicted 21 years ago for having sex with a child. It is unlikely that he is still a danger to society. The website does not contribute to the reintegration of these former convicts into society," he says. A view shared by justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin, whose spokesperson says "this kind of naming and shaming is highly undesirable".
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The "paedo party" The highly controversial political grouping by the name of the Party for Neighbourly Love, Freedom & Diversity (PNVD), has become known in the Netherlands as the "paedo party". The group advocates the legalisation of the possession of child pornography and a reduction in the age of sexual consent for children from 16 to 12, which would make sex with older children no longer a criminal offence. This 'party' does not have any elected representatives in parliament, or on any provincial or local councils, and is believed to have no more than miniscule support. On its website, PNVD says that the Stop Child Sex campaign is an instance of "political failure" which is set to spark a witch-hunt. The party argues that politicians should uphold the principle that convicts who have completed their jail terms are entitled to make a new start with a clean slate. Police in the city of Haarlem, where the party lodged its complaint on Saturday, say they are investigating the matter. |