Sexually Explicit Books for Kids in Manitoba Libraries? Manitobans are saying "No".
Educate yourselves to avoid the potential harm of leaving children unattended in Manitoba Libraries.
On Thursday evening September 22nd, 2022, a delegation of parents and Manitoban citizens delivered a presentation to the Library Board of the South Central Regional Library which serves Altona, Manitou, Miami, Morden & Winkler. The concluding requests of the delegation were: (1) remove these sexually explicit children’s books from our libraries and (2) (i) provide, in writing, an explanation of the process by which such books arrive in our region and are stacked in the children's section of the library, making them easily accessible to children of all ages without a guarantee of parental supervision; and (ii) provide, in writing, a description of the process by which books likes this are removed.
Over 150 people stood in support of the delegation delivering a thundering applause at the end of the presentation. The presentation made last night will be distributed in an upcoming video. Here are the first few minutes of the ten minute presentation in Winkler. Here is a compilation of presentations that have taken place in other jurisdictions in the past few years.
Previous complaints about these books were met with indignation by the Board, claiming:
The Board supports the principles laid down by the Canadian Library Association’s statement on Intellectual Freedom which states in part that … “It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge … including those which some elements of society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable.”
These books portray pornography and child pornography. Below is a list of peer-reviewed scientific articles that provide evidence of the harm of pornography on children. Educate yourselves to avoid the potential harm of leaving children unattended in Manitoba Libraries.
Tener, D., Sigad, L. I., Katz, C., Shemesh, M., & Zabib, Y. Z. (2022). “You can really be hurt by someone just like you”: Practitioners’ perceptions of preadolescent peer sexual abuse. Children and Youth Services Review, 141, 106597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106597
“[…] offensive sexual behaviors were explained by many participants by the absence of an adult who could identify and mediate normative sexual needs as well as mediate exposure to inappropriate sexual content such as pornography.” (p. 4)
Massey, K., Burns, J., & Franz, A. (2021). Young people, sexuality and the age of pornography. Sexuality & culture, 25(1), 318-336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09771-z
“[…] young people’s sexuality is affected by sexual imagery and that this influences children and young people’s sexual attitudes and behaviours. The impact is contingent on the young person’s support network, social learning and other demographic factors,[…]” [Abstract]
Quadara, A., El-Murr, A., & Latham, J. (2017). The effects of pornography on children and young people. Australian Institute of Family Studies: Melbourne. ISBN 978-1-76016-150-7 (PDF)
“Parental [or legal guardian] support for children and young people who have been exposed to online pornography is extremely important to their ability to process their experience in healthy ways.” (p. 21)
Alexy, E. M., Burgess, A. W., & Prentky, R. A. (2009). Pornography use as a risk marker for an aggressive pattern of behavior among sexually reactive children and adolescents. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 14(6), 442-453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390308327137
“Sexually reactive children and adolescents (SRCAs) who used pornography were more likely to display aggressive behaviors than their nonusing cohort.” [Abstract]
Flood, M. (2009). The harms of pornography exposure among children and young people. Child Abuse Review: Journal of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, 18(6), 384-400. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.1092
“While children and young people are sexual beings and deserve age-appropriate materials on sex and sexuality, pornography is a poor, and indeed dangerous, sex educator.” [Abstract]