The Protection of Children Act 1978 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Protection of Children Bill was put before Parliament as a Private Member's Bill by Cyril Townsend in the 1977–1978 session of Parliament.
This Bill came about as a result of the concern over child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children that arose in the United States of America in 1977 and the uptake of this cause in the UK by Mary Whitehouse and the press. At the same time, an organisation called the Paedophile Information Exchange was attracting much media attention. In this atmosphere, Whitehouse's National Viewers' and Listeners' Association was able to campaign in support of the Bill and present a petition bearing 1,600,000 signatures to 10 Downing Street.
When the progress of the bill was threatened by MP Ian Mikardo, who blocked it to protest against tactics being used by the Conservative party to block Edward Fletcher's bill on employment protection, the Prime Minister, James Callaghan, stepped in to ensure that the Bill received the time required to become law. (Bolton Evening News, 18 April 1978)
The Act applies in England and Wales. Similar provision for Scotland is contained in the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and for Northern Ireland in the Protection of Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
Read more about Protection Of Children Act 1978: Offences, Offences Committed Abroad, Sentencing, Defences
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