London hip hop artist, Jahaziel, has recorded a track which explains how he was exposed to, and then became addicted to, pornography – from just six years of age. Jahaziel’s rap recording and video, ‘Theft of my Innocence’, will be available as a free download from today, in support of the on-going Safetynet campaign for a block on internet pornography.
The song explains how he stumbled across a pornographic video which, at first, revolted him. “But I was like no, this is what adults watch so I’m gonna watch it too. I think I was about six,” he says. He describes his first encounter with pornography as like taking a look over the fence, which quickly led to addiction.
Jahaziel, a MOBO award winning artist who has been causing a stir in the music industry for more than a decade, regularly appears at schools, colleges and universities across the country. He was invited to pen and produce a special track to reinforce the Safetynet message by Premier Christian Media, co-founders of the campaign in partnership with Safermedia.
‘Theft of my Innocence’, produced by Grammy nominated producer Steven Abramsamadu, warns that young people who have been exposed to pornography may find it increasingly difficult to break free.
“Young people need to see other young people who have made the decision to stay away from pornography,” says Jahaziel. “This is my testimony, from six, through teens, and how I eventually found freedom from it.”
Peter Kerridge of Safetynet, and CEO of Premier Christian Media, said today; “The hip hop genre is a language most young people understand so the message is given added credibility and clarity. Jahaziel’s childhood introduction to pornography is vividly portrayed along with the trauma he experienced. It’s a strong and important message for Internet Service Providers to introduce a voluntary block on pornography – with an ‘opt-in’ for adult viewing. The Prime Minister might also like to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to listen to an articulate, first-hand account of childhood exposure to pornography.”
Jahaziel’s childhood experience is reflected in the views of William Struthers, Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, USA who says that internet pornography blurs the dividing line between virtual reality and the real world, reinforcing the notion in young men that all girls are freely available for sex with implied consent.
“It’s a violation of the childhood mind, creating expectations that anybody and everybody is willing to engage in sex on demand and that consent will always be freely given,” he says.
Check out Jahaziel’s testimony below:
Listen to “Theft Of My Innocence” Below
