M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – All political factions involved in the deliberation of the controversial pornography bill have agreed to draw up provisions that would act as a strong deterrent against the distribution of pornographic materials that exploit children.

Deputy chairwoman of the House of Representatives special committee on the pornography bill, Yoyoh Yusroh, of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said over the weekend that all factions were likely to agree on severe punishment for those who produce, distribute and put on display pornographic materials that feature children.

"We have proposed that the prison sentence range from one year to life imprisonment. As for the fine, it could be anything up to Rp 20 billion," Yoyoh told The Jakarta Post. She said that such a severe punishment would be needed to curb the current massive proliferation of pornographic materials.

"Take a look at our television today. Children are exposed to a heavy dose of such materials on a regular basis," Yoyoh said, citing a survey conducted by the Habibie Center which found that of 27 cartoon shows aimed at children, only seven carried decent content.

Yoyoh said that all factions in the special committee had agreed that a special article would be devoted to punishment for those involved in child pornography.

"This indicates that we are serious about combating pornography that exploits children," she said, adding that the initial version of the bill only vaguely incorporated provisions on child pornography into several articles.

The earlier version of the bill, for instance, prohibits the production, distribution and display of pornographic materials containing sexual intercourse or conduct that could be construed as sexual intercourse with children.

Article 21 of the initial draft also prohibits the employment of children as models in the production of pornographic materials that would require them to masturbate and/or be involved in sexual intercourse.

In the last meeting of the formulating team, lawmakers agreed on a definition of pornography. Differences, however, linger over what would be considered as indecent acts.

The special committee members have also disagreed on what would be the title of the bill. Some factions were in favor of the name pornography bill while others wanted to incorporate the words indecent acts, holding on to the initial title of the bill.

A small team is now assigned to draw up a new draft of the bill behind closed doors before the House special committee holds an open session to deliberate the new draft. Most of the formulating team have been tight-lipped over the contentious issues in the bill.

The bill caused an uproar and marked divisions in society when it was first floated with supporters claiming that it would be necessary to fight indecency and detractors rejecting it for fear that it would place the blame on women and suppress freedom of expression.

Chairman of the special committee, Balkan Kaplale, of the Democratic Party, however, asserted that in spite of the differences all political factions would return to the negotiating table and arrive at a compromise soon.

"One of the good signs is that all factions have submitted a list of contentious issues for the bill, something that could not have been achieved until recently," Balkan said.