Inquiry on Pornography launched
The APPG on Commercial Sexual Exploitation launched an inquiry into the pornography industry in response to growing concerns that online pornography is fuelling violence against women and girls.
The objectives of the Inquiry on Pornography are to:
1. Assess the scale and nature of the contemporary pornography industry;
2. Identify the types and severity of harms associated with the production and consumption of pornography; and
3. Establish what legal framework is needed in the UK to prevent and address the harms associated with the production and consumption of pornography.
The six-month inquiry will involve a series of evidence hearings, with a report of the inquiry findings and recommendations published in 2022.
Dame Diana Johnson MP, Chair of the APPG on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, said:
“It’s time for MPs to confront the role of pornography in fuelling violence against women. The intolerable level of sexual violence that is perpetrated day in day out in this country is not inevitable. There is nothing ‘natural’ about it. So the question is, what in our culture is fuelling men’s violence against women – and what do we do about it? No answer to that critical question is complete without addressing the role of online pornography.
“We know that mainstream pornography is replete with violence and degradation, that the majority of users are men, and that currently children are able to access porn companies’ websites. International pornography companies generate huge profits, but what price are we all paying for this?
“This landmark cross-party inquiry will investigate what part the pornography industry is playing in fuelling men’s violence against women – and what Parliament should do about it.”
> Watch recordings from evidence hearing 1
> Watch recordings from evidence hearing 2
> Watch recordings from evidence hearing 3