Koforidua, Aug. 24, GNA- A State Attorney, Mr. Frederick Tetteh, has warned video centre operators, who are alleged to be luring minors to patronize pornographic materials at their premises that they risked severe punitive measures unless they freeze their operations forthwith. He cautioned that the security and regulatory authorities would clamp down on all such purported acts, especially as the practice sought to deprave the mentality and sensibility of children and get them involved in illegalities such as gambling and exposure to explicit sexual materials.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA at Koforidua on Tuesday, Mr Tetteh was emphatic that any individual or group of individuals using the Ghana Legion Decree for Lottery as a pretext to beam pornographic materials to children, would be swiftly dealt with unless they stopped their operations.

Mr Tetteh's concerns come at the heels of concerns being raised by child concerns in the region that the activities of video operators was undermining efforts to curb delinquency among minors. In particular, members of the Eastern Regional Multi-Sectoral Committee on Child Protection have expressed worry about the likelihood of children developing aggressive scripts while watching in unfettered manner, prohibited and uncensored motion materials.

Mr Tetteh said investigations into the incident pointed out that laws governing the operations of video centres were not well structured. As a result, he said some of the operators were thereby taking undue advantage of the situation to commit illegalities such as acquiring license under the Legion Decree, which provided for lottery and games trade but thereafter to turn round to operate video centres. This, the Attorney explained, was a violation of the decree because the relevant laws on minors "bars children from participating or operating in gambling activities", adding that those who are caught in the act, would be held liable and consequently hauled before the courts to serve as deterrent to like- minded persons.

Mr Tetteh explained that until municipal and district assemblies in the region enact bye-laws appropriately for them, "they have no business entertaining children on their premises."

"Any attempt to ignore the order shall have grave consequences for the individuals," he stressed.

Mr Tetteh said what was worrying was that some secondary school students were being lured into the business and asked such affected students to freeze their operations as they would not be spared when caught.

The Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Children of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, Mr Anthony Dontoh, corroborated Mr Tetteh's view, noting that the exposure of children to materials that corrupts their sense of decency was unfortunate. He pleaded with such entities not to place their monetary considerations above the long-term negative psychological effect that would be wrought on that have been exposed to such negativities. 24 Aug.06