Europeans Agree On Child Porn Crackdown

The European Union plans to fight the sexual exploitation of children by pursuing producers, vendors, distributors and owners of pornographic materials that feature youngsters.

The 15 EU justice ministers, who approved the initiative on Friday, agreed to impose minimum penalties relating to child pornography.

“This means that the production, the sale and the distribution … will become a criminal offense” throughout the European Union, said Irish Justice Minister Nora Owen.

The initiative was proposed by Belgium, which has been shocked in recent months by revelations of a child sex ring believed responsible for the murders of four young girls and the disappearance of a half-dozen others.