When ‘Art’ Crosses the Line: Why an Australian Judge Ruled an Erotic Novel Child Abuse Material

Arleta Kay Didier (@grannybibbins on instagram) once said, “Being a male isn’t easy. You turn 12 and suddenly you’re competing with CEOs, bankers, and politicians for girls your age.”

The dark joke reflects an increase in the number of child abuse cases being reported, and Singapore is no different. In Australia, a novel containing child sexual base material nearly slipped past the public eye, under the guise of featuring a technically “legal” 18 year old woman.

Lauren Mastrosa, an Australian Author, has been found guilty of creating an erotic novel featuring an age-gap romance. At first glance, a romance between 18 year old female and her father’s 45 year old best friend may raise some eyebrows. To make it worse, this protagonist is presented as very child-like throughout the novel. Not only is the book cover spelled out with children’s alphabet blocks, the protagonist uses child-like language, wears children’s clothing, and engages in child-like behaviour.

Mastrosa argues that the protagonist was very clearly stated to be 18, but Magistrate Bree Chisholm found that anyone would have found it undeniably offensive.

“Importantly, those descriptions and language are used in the portions of the book to describe a character similar to a young child when the sexual activity is occurring,” Chisholm said, according to the Australian Associated Press.
“The reader is left with a description that creates the visual image in one’s mind of an adult male engaging in sexual activity with a young child.”

There’s nothing funny about child exploitation—not when it’s disguised as dark humour, and not when it’s disguised as literature.

Sources:
Australian Author charged for writing erotic novel about child sex abuse: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgzv529v5no
Video by Didier: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUUSIkqD_eO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Increase in online child sex abuse in Singapore: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/online-child-sex-abuse-penal-code-exploitation-technology-mental-health-5063976