MPs on Friday passed a bill to crackdown on child porn and sex predators who entice youngsters for sex over the Internet.

Luring a child over the web or by other means will carry a maximum ten-year jail sentence as will making child porn.

Fines can reach as high as $1 million for child sex criminals affiliated with a corporate entity.

A person who knowingly accesses or possesses child porn will be liable to a five-year sentence.

Showing child porn to a child will carry a ten-year sentence, said Junior Minister of Justice Michael Scott, who introduced the The Criminal Code Amendment Act 2007 in the House of Assembly.

He said the practice had been used by paedophiles to desensitise potential child abuse victims.

And use of children in child porn will also carry a ten-year maximum tariff.

At times the language of the law is explicit in that it has to describe specifically the types of abuse a young victim of sex crimes may face.

The act allows Police and Customs officers to seize anything which may be child porn and search warrants can be issued to hunt for such material.

However, the act allows material deemed for the public good ? such as science, literature, art or learning to be exempt from the child porn laws.

Legislation had been promised back in 2001 by then Telecommunications Minister Ren?e Webb and was mentioned in the 2003 Throne Speech.

Current Telecommunications Minister Neletha Butterfield thanked Ms Webb for her earlier contributions to a measure that was now becoming law.

The new measure will allow cross-jurisdictional co-operation, which is especially important when investigating Internet crimes.

Ms Butterfield said: ?Child pornography is a world-wide problem and this legislation will enable us to act on information provided by international law enforcement as we assist with other jurisdictions to eradicate these abuses against children.?

Government has long acknowledged the child protection law on the books was weak ? something which was highlighted in the case of a Police officer who was accused of downloading images of children from the Internet in 2003 ? but it was discovered it was not actually breaking any law.

It was found existing legislation such as the Obscene Publications Act didn?t actually criminalise child pornography.

Both Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler and the relevant Shadow Minister Suzann Roberts-Holshouser said during the debate they thought such a law was overdue.

Mr. Butler said: ?Some would say this law is too late. We have to act.?

Shadow Minister of Justice John Barritt offered several suggestions where he thought the Bill could be more tightly written and in most cases the recommendations were accepted by Mr. Scott.

Mrs. Roberts-Holshouser was outspoken on the penalty phase of the law.

She believes the sentences specified in the law are too lenient.

She said: ?This is the most hideous of crimes that could be committed.

?We really need to see the gavel come down on these criminals with no regard for their well being.

?I do anticipate that if I have responsibility for a child, and I deny their right to a normal life, I deserve more than 20 years.?