Publicizing porn stars

I came across this news item in the Daily Mirror today and I was little shocked at this name and shame exercise. Basically what the news item said was - ' "Colombo court Magistrate today orderd Police Headquarters media unit to publicize 83 faces of local porn stars, in the news papers, in order to trace them."

First of all, just how accurate the identification of these 83 people are is questionable. Secondly, a majority of the people who engage in this work do so not because it had always been their lifes ambition but because circumstances have left them no choice. Poverty is the most common reason that people engage in these activities and most of them are from rural areas and villages and their families are completely unaware of what they are really doing to generate money. It is not the best of occupations but who are we to judge? It is very easy for us to look down upon these people and pass judgment and ask why they can't get a 'proper' job. Jobs are scarce and even those who have graduated from university can't get a job in this country so what hopes do people who have not had equal opportunities in terms of education or occupation have? At least they are not stealing or killing to make some money. To them it is just a job, definitely not an ideal one and for most a job that they are ashamed of and have programed their minds to be disengaged from it.

What do they hope to get out of publishing the names and faces of these porn stars? They will be ostracized and humiliated, along with their families and what is their fate then? If we were a fair society where all wrong doers were equally punished before the law I would say this exercise can at some level be justified. But I really fail to understand what the authorities hope to achieve by publicizing the pictures of these people. Surely a country that can defeat terrorism can trace 83 individuals using the great intelligence services?

We accept rapists and murderers who are in parliament and running our country, and we applaud and cheer on sexists and lewd individuals on television but yet we maintain such a moral high ground when it comes to porn stars. The people who support these name and shame exercises believe that they are cleansing the country of all vices but yet will go home and gratify themselves watching probably the same people that are being 'traced'.