The government of Bangladesh has embarked on a major porn crackdown, shuttering over 15,000 websites that feature explicit material. The initiative has been championed by Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar, who insists that porn and gambling are not only a scourge on the population from a moral standpoint, but also whittle away valuable internet bandwidth.
Announcing the closing of video sharing website, Tik Tok, along with thousands of porn and gambling sites, Jabbar wrote on Facebook: “I found 15,636 porn and 2,235 gaming sites, including Tik Tok and Bigo, all of them are now locked.”
According to AFP, Jabbar said he wanted to “create a safe and secure internet for all Bangladeshis, including children.”
“This is my war against pornography,” he added. “And this will be a continuous war.”
According to the International Internet Gateway (IIG) operators of Bangladesh, 1,100 GB bandwidth is being used per second as a result of porn consumption. In a country which is growing businesses at such a rapid rate, this amount of wasted internet bandwidth is a perilous concern. Last year, the United Nations recognized Bangladesh as a “developing country” and praised it for making gains in its exports, human resources and health and education sectors.
Is pornography illegal in Bangladesh?
Yes. Under the 2012 Pornography Control Act, it is illegal to watch, produce, distribute or possess porn — the maximum punishment for those convicted of offending is a 10-year jail term.
“The government has the technology to track the internet addresses of the suspects, ” Shorful Alam, CEO of leading IT firm Aamra Network Ltd., told the BBC at the time of the bill’s passing. “But those involved in the porn business tend to be smarter and a step ahead of the officials.”
Prior to the cabinet approving the legislation, former Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Abul Kalam Azad, noted that “pornography has spread like a disease in Bangladesh.”
In the United States, pornography usage is at an epidemic level. In 2018, the country’s leading porn site racked up a staggering 33.5 billion hits.
And if you think Christians are exempt from the snares of this societal disease, you could not be more wrong. According to an extensive 2016 research project conducted by the Barna group, some 57 percent of pastors admit they struggle with pornography, or have in the past. The figure is even higher for youth pastors, at 64 percent.
Given these depressing figures, it is important to know that there is help available.
Faithwire recently launched Set Free, a brand new internet-based program designed to combat pornography addiction. Grounded in biblical truth, action and community, this seven-week video series and Bible study equips individuals with the spiritual tools needed to understand the dangers of pornography, build strong community and accountability, and break free from the chains of sexual sin.
For more information on this course or how you can enroll, click here.