Following a recent rise in sex-related crimes, the Malaysian government is considering a ban on the street sale of video discs in an attempt to eradicate the easy availability of pornography, according to a report from Reuters.

"It is a blanket ban which will include genuine CDs and VCDs," consumer affairs minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters after a meeting of the special task force set up to investigate the sale of pornography.

Reuters reports that the Malaysian authorities began pressuring vendors of the mostly pirated discs last month after two girls -- aged 16 and 5 -- were raped and killed by youths in separate incidents. Pornographic films are often openly sold in Malaysia, although the predominantly Muslim country routinely censors television and cinema to the extent of cutting kissing scenes from some movies.

Selling pirated discs is illegal but largely tolerated, and locals joke that the latest Hollywood blockbuster can be bought, before its official studio release, for little more than $1 at night markets and roadside stalls.

Despite intensive efforts in recent years, the country has made little headway against piracy, which is estimated to cheat Hollywood studios of $40 million in revenue yearly.