Fight for the Family

also focussed on the need for the hyper-sexualisation and objectification of children and women to be considered as factors that should result in stricter classifications. I pointed out that recent research has exposed the language of sexually explicit magazines to be indistinguishable from language used by convicted rapists when talking about women (Dr Miranda Horvath and Dr Peter Hegarty, British Journal of Psychology). Similarly, the UK End Violence Against Women Coalition has called on the UK Government to tackle the sexualisation of women and girls because it provides a “conducive context” for violence against women.

Conference participants included the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Fatima Chohan; the FPB’s CEO and classifiers; traditional leaders; representatives from SABC, DSTV and E-TV; pastors; grassroots organisations and many other groups.

My presentation gave me an opportunity to have some good discussions with some of the conference participants afterwards, including a young film producer, who is producing a documentary on the influences of the media on youth in South Africa.

To read the Christian Action Network’s submission on the FPB Classification Guidelines, click here.

Legalising Prostitution in SA would be a disaster!
Last week, I also met with a legal officer and a researcher from the Commission on Gender Equality in Cape Town – a Constitutional Chapter 9 organisation that is meant to advise government on “gender” issues. Last month, some of their commissioners held a consultative discussion with SWEAT and released a press statement, supporting the legalisation of prostitution. We have given them several research papers on previous occasions, but felt that we needed to meet with them again on this crucial topic. I gave them research papers that show how intrinsically exploitative and harmful prostitution is and how often it is linked with drug addiction and organised crime. I also gave them newspaper articles from New Zealand, describing how citizens are plagued with brothels in their apartment buildings and condoms littering their suburban streets and are pleading with their government to ban prostitution. New Zealand is deceptively used as an example of successful legal prostitution by pro-prostitution groups such as SWEAT.

The CGE representatives seemed open to listening to what I had to say and invited us and anyone else interested, to participate in discussion forums that they will be hosting around the country in 2013, on Law Reform and Prostitution.

If you want to educate and mobilise your community to prevent prostitution from being legalised, or if you need Action Tips for presenting trafficking-prevention workshops, outreaches to prostitutes or cleaning up your community, then the “Should Prostitution Be Legalised in South Africa?” pamphlet is for you. You can download it here. Please copy and distribute!

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:11

Riversdale Biblical Worldview Seminar/ Bybelse Wereldbeskouings Seminaar: 13-15 July 2012
We have been invited to conduct a Biblical Worldview Seminar in Riversdale Friday 13 July to Sunday 15 July.

Anyone is welcome and there will be a parallel children’s programme. The cost is R180 per person and includes meals and a manual, but not accommodation. Most lectures will be by Dr Peter Hammond in English, but there will also be two Afrikaans lectures by Pieter Pelser on “Die Evolusie Illusie” and by George Oesche on “Bybelse Bekering en Restitusie”. Lectures by Dr Peter Hammond will include:  The Battle for the Mind in the News Media , A World War of Worldviews, Dealing with Guilt Manipulation, How the Cape Came to Christ – Andrew Murray and the 1860 Revival, and an Evangelism and Christian Action Workshop. Join the event on Facebook here and invite your friends and contacts in the Riversdale area.

For more information and resources contact: 
AFRICA CHRISTIAN ACTION