The United Nations’ Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (OPSC) from the CRC committee was basically re-introduced to the general public as a draft, with the U.N., seeking feedback on the proposal. Most of it is actually aimed at curbing real-life child exploitation and attempting to police child solicitation. However, one section of the OPSC actually centers in on drawings and cartoons, and the language pretty much makes it clear that various kinds of anime, manga, doujins, and artwork would be prohibited if any State parties began to enforce the OPSC.

The Prostasia Foundation decided to host a petition on their website to get the United Nations to excise the inclusion of drawings, cartoons, and artwork from the OPSC draft, as they succinctly put it…

“A United Nations committee wants to have drawings, dolls, and writings added to the international legal definition of child pornography. “That’s not what child pornography law is for. […] “Tell the United Nations that it has no business telling the world what we can draw or read, and that it should keep its focus on the prevention of harm to real children.”

The petition follows up on a lengthy blog post they published back on February 18th, 2019, breaking down the issues with OPSC and how targeting anime, hentai, manga, and “underage” drawings wasn’t being conducive for helping the situation regarding real life child exploitation.

Prostasia Foundation’s petition is being shared across various social media fronts, especially by anti-censorship Japanese, who absolutely understand exactly what’s at stake with a measure like the OPSC in its current form if any State parties decide to enact upon it or adhere to it within their nation. We’ve already seen how similar measures rolled out by tech companies like Reddit and Twitter absolutely disrupted artist communities, which caused a bunch of Japanese artists to flee to Pawoo.

Activist Takamura has been spreading the good word and getting more people informed about the

The children protection organization Prostasia has expressed their opposition to the UN guideline that will ban sexual depiction of minors in manga and anime. Please support their petition “Tell the UN: Art ≠ CSEM” by completing the petition form.https://t.co/cvjrl7gl6t — 高村武義 #WalkAway (@tk_takamura) March 1, 2019

The Prostasia Foundation has a basic petition form letter that users can send to the United Nations in English, since it’s one of the only few languages that the U.N., supports in terms of feedback, along with French and Spanish.

More than 1,100 people have already signed the petition, sending the form letter to the United Nations expressing that art does not equate to child pornography.

If you would like to sign the petition and very conveniently send your feedback to the U.N., you can do so by visiting the Prostasia Foundation website.

(Thanks for the news tip ntbxp