Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada approved at first reading a bill that would both decriminalize pornography involving consenting adults and increase liability for crimes connected to child pornography.
The bill was supported by 231 lawmakers, while eight voted against it and three abstained. The vote could be followed via a live broadcast of the plenary session.
According to Ukrainian media, the draft law would, among other things, raise punishment to up to 15 years in prison for offenses related to child pornography when committed by an organized group or by people responsible for a child’s upbringing or supervision.
If the bill is adopted in full, the production of pornographic materials involving adults with their consent, as well as the distribution of such materials to adult audiences, would no longer be treated as a criminal offense.
According to Ekonomichna Pravda, the authors of the initiative said one of the bill’s aims was to combat corruption among law enforcement officers.
The source text also mentioned a broader context: Ukrainian authorities currently treat the production of pornography as a crime while at the same time seeking to collect taxes from those who earn money from it.