Pedophiles defile our family life

A decade ago, in what appeared, at least on the surface, to be a more innocent age, a ban on parents taking photographs at junior sports fixtures without the permission of other parents and team officials would have been unthinkable. Revelations in recent years, however, of the extent and horrors of pedophilia around the world, including in Australia, and the power of the Internet in disseminating material between pedophiles, mean that parents, sporting clubs and venues have moved to protect children from being preyed upon by camera lenses or mobile-phone cameras of potential abusers.

As it is almost impossible to photograph one's own child playing team sports like rugby league, AFL, soccer and netball without including other children in the frame, those games now have policies forcing parents to seek permission before taking photographs. Some codes also require professional photographers to hold blue cards before allowing them to work at grand finals.

source: Article 'Pedophiles defile our family life'; www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17977467%255E13360,00.html; The Courier-Mail; 30 January 2006