PORNOGRAPHY AND ITS EFFECTS ON CHILDREN FROM ISLAMIC AND SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The issue of pornography is no longer foreign and has become a polemic in the global community. In Malaysia, people irrespective of gender, age, race and religion are affected by pornography addiction. Various factors have been identified as the causes of pornography addiction such as internet abuse, influences from movies and games, self-esteem, sex drive and peer influence. This addiction has various serious effects and harmful consequences on the development of individuals, affecting their spiritual, physical, psychosocial, mental, emotional and reproductive development. More alarmingly, this addiction can lead to serious and severe sexual crimes such as unsafe sex practices, rape, free sex and molestation. Various parties in the country have begun to recognise this fact and are conducting numerous awareness campaigns, drafting legislation, enforcing strict laws and organising prevention programmes. However, the human development approach to address this problem has not been specifically discussed. This paper therefore aims to explore and help readers understand how the human development approach, based on Islam and science, can help many parties to tackle the problem of pornography addiction. This study discusses scientific sources according to the Al-Quran and the Hadith, including some considerable views of Islamic scholars and academic studies that have been accepted as valid. The discussion findings of this study can be used as a reference for various parties in planning the solution to this problem, including prevention and restoration from further inflammation and harm to the community.