No one can seem to explain why it is that pornography is legal, except that it maybe has something to do with human rights.  Or perhaps free speech.

It does not seem to be very helpful to society, however.

Daily Mail:

A judge condemned the corrosive effect of online pornography after a schoolboy who visited vile websites abducted and raped a girl of ten.

The boy, who was 14 at the time, stopped his victim as she walked home from school, claiming he needed help looking for something he had lost.

Once they were alone, he grabbed her by the mouth and told her not to scream as he violently assaulted her using methods he had seen on free porn sites.

A judge said he ‘used, abused then abandoned his victim’ after repeatedly watching internet porn that ‘treats women as objects and not people’ on his home computer.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday, Judge Robin Onions said the boy wanted someone to have sex with and ‘because of your age and build, it was not going to be an adult woman and you looked for someone weaker and smaller than you’.

He said it was a sustained and persistent attack, adding: ‘There was also a degree of planning as a result of the corrosive effect of the viewing of adult pornography and isolating the victim from being seen in what was a busy part of the town.’

The teenager’s mother was reportedly unaware that he had visited such sites from his bedroom at their Shropshire home.

Last night MPs called for urgent measures to stop children using such sites.

Helen Goodman, Labour’s media spokesman, said: ‘This horrific case goes to show how dangerous online pornography is for young people.

‘The Government’s failure to introduce a legal requirement for internet filters… is letting down young people.’

Jon Brown, of the NSPCC, said: ‘This case is a horrendous example of just how badly wrong things can go when children get access to inappropriate and abusive adult material.’

The Daily Mail’s campaign against online porn calls for internet service providers to block adult content unless a household opts to see it.

The Government has pledged that by the end of 2014 all internet users will be asked whether they want to install a family-friendly filter. Last year, BT, TalkTalk and Sky agreed to offer such filters.

In April, the Government revealed that it is drawing up plans that will force UK-based pornography sites to prove their users are over 18.

David Cameron has also said that possessing online porn depicting rape will become illegal in England and Wales, in line with Scotland.

Children as young as five have been excluded from schools for serious sexual abuse, watching pornography and ‘sexting’ inappropriate images of themselves.

Hundreds of pupils have been banned from class for a raft of ‘sexual misconduct’, including assault, harassment and bullying. Others have been excluded for inappropriate touching, lewd behaviour and sexual graffiti.

Shockingly, some children were disciplined within their first year at primary school when new learners are just four or five-years-old, although 13, 14 and 15 years old are the most likely to be punished.

A new investigation found there were more than 2,000 reported incidents between January 2010 and September 2013, although the true figure is likely to be much higher, as nearly two-thirds of the 153 authorities contacted said they did not hold the information centrally, or refused to disclose it.

Child welfare charities and politicians described the figures, uncovered by the Press Association, as ‘extremely concerning’ and called on the Government to clamp down on the ease with which children can access internet pornography, and to implement a ‘robust’ sex education programme.

Jon Brown, head of tackling child sexual abuse at the NSPCC, said: ‘The extent of sexual harassment, inappropriate sexual behaviour and in the worst cases violence by children is extremely concerning.

‘Exposure to extreme, sometimes sexually violent and degrading material is now only a few clicks away and this can warp young people’s views of what is normal and acceptable sexual behaviour.

‘Sexting (sending sexual text messages) is now the norm for many young people who may find once they start sending explicit pictures of themselves the situation spirals out of control.

‘We need good quality, age appropriate education in schools to help young people develop healthy, positive relationships with each other, so that children understand consent, do not feel so pressurised to behave in a sexualised way, and respect themselves and others.’

Six children in reception classes across England were involved in a sexual act in a school, the figures showed.

There were a further 15 incidents involving six and seven-year-olds, rising to 69 incidents for children in Year 6, when pupils turn 11, at the time of the sexual misconduct.

There was a surge in incidents as children reached secondary school – with 175 incidents in Year 7.

The figures show further increases in the next three year groups – with 248 incidents for 13-year-olds, 256 for those a year older, and 240 for those in Year 10, when most pupils turn 15.

Former children’s television presenter and Lib Dem peer, Baroness Benjamin, said she was not surprised by the data, having heard anecdotal evidence and received reports from charities of incidents involving very young children.

She said: ‘I believe one of the main contributory factors is children being exposed to pornographic online material which is easily available on the internet, and they are emulating what they see. They want to discover what it feels like to experience the sexual act they have seen and if they don’t achieve the level of satisfaction they expect they move on to the next girl.

‘We need to have a robust sex and relationship education programme rolled out across all schools in the country for children and young people, which is age appropriate, to help them understand the true meaning of love, respect and unconditional sexual relationships.’

The former Play School presenter said young boys are ‘becoming addicted to pornography’ and that teachers needed training to detect changes in children’s behaviour patterns which might hint at their involvement in abuse.

She added: ‘We have to teach them that sex is about mutual respect.’

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