Ban on sex toys placed to protect public morals – Senior Customs Officer

The ban on the importation of sex toys into this country should remain in effect, as it was placed to protect public morals.

This is the opinion of a senior customs officer, who said the laws in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) were laid down by people with wisdom and foresight, in an effort to protect our nation.

The customs officer said businesses that sell these items are committing an offence and once the authorities become aware, the customs and the police are supposed to act immediately.

“…Because it is a prohibited item, it is against the law; it is not restricted; it is prohibited; it is a no, no, no. Those people could be arrested,” he stressed.

He said raids may also be carried out on private homes, because if there is a sex toy in a home, that means a prohibited item came into the country without being seized by Customs, which means the item was smuggled.

The customs official spoke to SEARCHLIGHT on Monday, but asked not to be identified, as he had not received authorization to speak to the media.

He said the ban is applied under the third schedule of the Customs Control Management Act of 1999, under section 79 and 80, prohibited items.

The Act lists, among other things, some prohibited items as obscene print (paintings, photographs, books, cards, lithographic or other engravings), pornographic records and videos or any other indecent article or matter.

The part of that Act which is used to stop the importation of sex toys is “any other indecent article or matter.”

Other prohibited items include all publications, articles or other matter associated with black magic, secret magic, obeah, witchcraft, or other magical arts and occultism.

The official said that some of these laws, even though they may seem old, deal with modern issues and are in line and important for our nation.

He said while sex toys are most often used within the confines of a private home, the word usually gets out, which creates problems.

“…After it is used in the confines of a home, you will

be telling other people … all about it. It is about influence; evil is an influence and a very powerful influence, just as good has its powerful influence. If we are going to protect our nation, there are laws that we put in place.”

The official said we can look to countries like the United States and see some of the issues that might arise.

“Those are the early things that led to these things, homosexuality. When men become so perverse in their mind, then it opens the whole can of worms and it leads down a path that leads to destruction and, so we have to determine what we want for our children, our future our generation to come.”

The opinionated officer said we must stand up and protect the generation to come, lest we expose them to all these ills that are coming in.

“…That is how these things get in and before long, the homosexuals will be fighting for their rights to be married and have the same right like a family… and it will reach the point where even sexual abuse of these children would not even have in rights in the court’s laws,” he opined.

“That is where the world is heading, but we, as a people, don’t have to flow down that river with them and be washed away, but rather we could seek to uphold; every generation is responsible for the one that comes after.”

He said there is sometimes a struggle at Customs to keep out of the country not only sex toys, but also certain types of prohibited materials like books on witchcraft, voodoo dolls, crystal balls and oils with strange names.

“You have some people that would fight it and they get away and you have people in positions who fight the law themselves, but the law hasn’t changed; there isn’t a different interpretation for it, but they fight it,” said the officer.