Call to cut underage sex in film

A child psychologist has appealed to film-makers to exercise greater restraint when dealing with the subjects of underage sex and incest.

End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation (ECSAF) chairman Josephine Siao Fong-fong said: 'Films with overly graphic or lurid scenes can have an adverse effect on children who may think it is all right to copy what they see on the screen. In many cases of child sexual abuse, the abusers themselves are children who were not aware that what they were doing was wrong.'

Ms Siao was responding to the number of complaints received by ECSAF about the Thai film Jan Dara.

She said parents who called in were worried that the film and the subsequent publicity surrounding it would affect their children. 'While the actor was not underaged, the fact that incest happened almost daily under the same roof could give children a dangerously wrong impression,' Ms Siao added.

The former child star said she hoped that film-makers would not ignore their responsibility towards the younger generation when dealing with such themes. 'I can fully appreciate that when you are making a movie, the only thing you worry about is audience appeal. But I think it is time to stop and think about the effect of good and bad drama on the next generation.'