Spanish Police Unearth 400 Websites Encouraging Anorexia: Press

Spanish police have identified some 400 websites inciting young women to anorexia or bulimia, according to the daily newspaper ABC on Sunday.

A shocking newspaper report has revealed that Spanish police has identified some 400 websites inciting young women to anorexia or bulimia. The daily newspaper ABC carried this report on Sunday.

However, although a dossier has been handed over to Spain's prosecutor general, the paper reported that a legal debate is likely over whether any criminal offences had actually been committed.

Anorexia Nervosa - Types Complications Causes Treatment FAQs
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder most commonly found among teenage girls. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a very low body weight, generally defined as 15% below the Body Mass Index.

The Spanish-language websites and blogs, mainly read by young women aged between 12 and 28, were unearthed by an inquiry led by the technology unit of the national police, the paper added.

Aimed at ''people who make anorexia or bulimia a lifestyle choice'', the sites include advice on how to hide extreme weight-loss methods from family and close friends, and rapid weight-loss regimes that could be dangerous, it said.

Police also discovered an organization which arranges competitions for those ''who can lose the most weight in a set time.''

According to ABC, many of these sites are actually run by people in Latin America, although some sites in Spain have already been shut down.

Four sites hosted by Microsoft were closed at the request of the Catalan Agency for Internet Virtue (IQUA), a web watchdog, last November.

Bulimia Nervosa - Incidence Types Causes Treament Effects FAQs
The term 'Bulimia' refers to episodes of uncontrolled excessive eating, known as "binges," followed by self-induced vomiting or purgation.

And in early 2007 another site -- which was launching a competition for young girls who lost the most weight in 14 days -- was closed down after protests from the Madrid regional government and Spanish health authorities.

Source-AFP
TAN/L

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