Parliament approves of amendments to Criminal Code on combating pedophilia

On Thursday the State Duma (the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament) in the first reading passed a law that envisaged tougher criminal responsibility for moral and sexual seduction and exploitation of the minors.

The law implies implementation of changes to the Russian Criminal Code and introduction of two new articles "establishing punishment for the production and distribution of children's pornography," said the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the affairs of women, families and youth Svetlana Goryacheva in her report on the issue.

The law sets a new level of Russian citizens' sexual inviolability increasing it from the age of 14 to 16. It also proposes to consider this type of crime to be grave in order to deprive people committing them from an opportunity to be granted an amnesty, Goryacheva said. "If we don't toughen the law, pedophiles from all over the world will gather in Russia and make it a parlour house," she stated.