MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
I didn't see Oprah yesterday but I have read a little bit about what happened to this girl. I had no idea that was true about the penalty for downloading songs vs child pornography
Tue Jan 17, 6:42 PM ET AP
Some lawmakers and victims are outraged that the penalties for downloading songs on the Internet are three times greater than those for downloading child pornography.
On Tuesday, Masha Allen, a 13-year-old child pornography survivor, shared her story on the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Allen was adopted from Russia by an American man who abused her for five years. The Pittsburgh man is now in jail, but Allen's pictures can still be accessed on the Internet.
"I am glad he is in jail. I think it is really wrong, what he did, and anybody else he did this to," Allen told Winfrey Tuesday.
Allen's case alerted some lawmakers to how outdated Internet child pornography laws are. Sen. John Kerry recently filed what he called "Masha's Law" to increase penalties and give adults whose pictures as children are still being downloaded, grounds for legal action.
"My pictures that are on the Internet disturb me more than what he actually did, because I know the abuse stopped, but the pictures are still on the Internet," Allen said last week.
"What does it tell you about Washington's misplaced priorities that the penalty for downloading songs off the Internet is three times what the penalty is for downloading pornography, child pornography?" Kerry asked last week.
While Kerry leads the legislative fight on Capitol Hill, Allen offered words of encouragement for other young victims of abuse.
"There are people that can help them and they should tell somebody, even if they are afraid to talk about it. The sooner they tell someone, the sooner it will get better and they should have courage and be strong about it because it is not going to last forever," Allen said.
Tue Jan 17, 6:42 PM ET AP
Some lawmakers and victims are outraged that the penalties for downloading songs on the Internet are three times greater than those for downloading child pornography.
On Tuesday, Masha Allen, a 13-year-old child pornography survivor, shared her story on the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Allen was adopted from Russia by an American man who abused her for five years. The Pittsburgh man is now in jail, but Allen's pictures can still be accessed on the Internet.
"I am glad he is in jail. I think it is really wrong, what he did, and anybody else he did this to," Allen told Winfrey Tuesday.
Allen's case alerted some lawmakers to how outdated Internet child pornography laws are. Sen. John Kerry recently filed what he called "Masha's Law" to increase penalties and give adults whose pictures as children are still being downloaded, grounds for legal action.
"My pictures that are on the Internet disturb me more than what he actually did, because I know the abuse stopped, but the pictures are still on the Internet," Allen said last week.
"What does it tell you about Washington's misplaced priorities that the penalty for downloading songs off the Internet is three times what the penalty is for downloading pornography, child pornography?" Kerry asked last week.
While Kerry leads the legislative fight on Capitol Hill, Allen offered words of encouragement for other young victims of abuse.
"There are people that can help them and they should tell somebody, even if they are afraid to talk about it. The sooner they tell someone, the sooner it will get better and they should have courage and be strong about it because it is not going to last forever," Allen said.