Netflix Blasted for Allowing Foreign Movie Containing 'Child Porn' Scene
Netflix is catching heat from subscribers for featuring an Argentinean film on its platform, a movie that contains explicit content some say ought to be deemed child pornography and therefore illegal.
PJ Media reported that outraged Netflix subscribers have been sharing a clip of the opening scene of the film "Desire," directed by Diego Kaplan.
In this scene, two young girls are shown, both of whom appear to be under the age of 10, playing "horse" on pillow cushions. The younger girl watches the older girl masturbate. The camera focuses on the older girl moving in a sexual manner and having an orgasm.
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The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told Megan Fox, who wrote the article for PJ Media, that they had launched an investigation into the movie, after the FBI and Department of Justice referred her there, when she made a report as a private citizen.
Federal law defines child pornography as "any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (someone under 18 years of age)," including "photographs, videos, digital or computer generated images indistinguishable from an actual minor, and images created, adapted, or modified, but appear to depict an identifiable, actual minor," as noted on the DOJ's website.
Undeveloped film, undeveloped videotape, and electronically stored data that can be converted into a visual image of child porn are also considered illegal visual depictions under the applicable statute.
This legal definition also does not hold that the explicit images must be children engaging in some kind of sexual act to be considered child porn; a photo of a naked child may also fall into that category if it is sexually suggestive enough.
"Additionally, the age of consent for sexual activity in a given state is irrelevant; any depiction of a minor under 18 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct is illegal," PJ Media noted.
Users of the movie streaming site took to social media to express their disgust that Netflix was effectively promoting pedophilia and normalizing child sex by allowing this film onto its platfrom, and indicated that they would be discontinuing the service.
"Complete confirmation for canceling my subscription. Netflix pushing Child Pornography with latest movie..#Desire. Absolutely sick!" one subscriber wrote, tweeting at the FBI and Netflix.
