SALT LAKE CITY — Spring starts and most people cannot wait to go outdoors; but, for others, spring means something different. It is a time to take refuge in their rooms in front of the computer monitor. The season of showers, warmth, and bloom is also the time of year when pornography use rises. Just in April, members of the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested 14 people suspected of dealing with child pornography, a Cache County jail guard was charged with possessing child pornography on his computer, and a Layton glass artist was sentenced to 45 days in jail for having child pornography on his computer. "Some people don’t realize it is real children being tortured and abused," said Veola Burchett, director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. "They just see a picture and don’t recognize a person who may no longer be alive due to torture, the diseases he or she may have contracted, suicide, or drug abuse," said Burchett. Pornography affects everyone involved. With this in mind, the Archbishop of San Francisco George H. Niederauer, former bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and Steven D. Kohlert, former public affairs chairman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded the Utah Coalition Against Pornography (UCAP) in 2000. "Archbishop Niederauer recognized pornography is not just dangerous for the person who watches it… it is also a danger to the family," said Burchett. The coalition’s purpose is to provide information, resources, and solutions regarding pornography and its effects. "Most of the board is composed of social workers and counselors who work with people who are addicted," said Burchett, a UCAP board member. "Some members go to schools and talk to parents about how to monitor their children’s use of the Internet," she said. UCAP’s main event is its annual conference on protecting children and families from pornography and other harmful material. This year’s conference took place in the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy April 25. It featured Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough is Enough, as the opening keynote speaker and Wendy Maltz, a therapist and co-director of Maltz Counseling Associates in Eugene, Washington, as closing keynote speaker. Captain Rhett McQuiston, from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task force, made a presentation about the dangers of technology. "The task force mission is to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation by offenders who use the Internet to victimize them," said Capt. McQuiston. Technology provides offenders with an opportunity to reach children in an often unsupervised environment. "You should keep the computer in a common area," said Capt. McQuiston. He also advised parents to learn which sites their children are visiting and who are their online friends. Communication, however, is the most important tool parents can use to protect their children, but there are effective and ineffective ways to communicate with a child. "Don’t tell them, ‘Don’t have a MySpace or other personal webpage,’ but say, ‘Be careful with what you do with those sites," said Capt. McQuiston. Hughes said during her presentation on Internet safety that seven in 10 teenagers using the Internet have been exposed unintentionally to sexual or pornographic material and that almost 80 percent of these exposures have occurred at home. Among the dangers of children and teenagers being exposed to pornography is that they can become addicted. "It demands a repetition of the experience over and over again," said Hughes. She also said many teenagers have been involved in an activity called "sexting" for sex and texting. "Twenty percent of teens have been caught either sending or receiving naked pictures," said Hughes. Then, she emphasized the need for parents to become involved. "Parents should not be afraid of violating the privacy of their children," said Burchett. Now, what happens when the person resorting to pornography is an adult? "Pornography affects marriages. I takes away financial resources from the family… and it takes away valuable time that could never be recovered," said Burchett. During her closing keynote address, Maltz said adults could be affected emotionally. She noted that most women in the pornography industry have had breast implants and the men appear better endowed. So, those who see them may "feel inadequate sexually because they don’t measure up." Pornography can also distort a person’s perception of sex as a means to strengthen a relationship and "it makes a man unattractive. Women don’t want men who are into porn. It can render a person powerless to it," said Maltz. She defined pornography as a sex predator. "It is a form of sex abuse because it involves someone being exploited or dominated through sexual activity or suggestion." The good news is rehabilitation is possible. "They have to be humble and say, ‘I can’t fight this by myself,’" said Burchett. She recommends those addicted to pornography start turning their lives around by having the sacrament of reconciliation and seeking a priest. Waltz said the first step toward a healing process is to have a strong base of motivation. Those addicted "need compassion, not shame," she said.
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