Latest news with #BaronessGabbyBertin
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Labour should introduce minister for porn, Conservative peer says
Labour should appoint a minister for porn to tackle the wave of 'violent, abusive and misogynistic' images, a Conservative peer has said. Baroness Gabby Bertin, who leads the Independent Pornography Review Taskforce, said that MPs shy away from tackling abuse in the porn industry out of embarrassment. 'We're really British about it so we don't want to have a graphic conversation about sex and porn. But you've got to shout about it as loudly as possible. The reason why we've got into this mess is because nobody has really wanted to talk about it,' she told The Guardian. She is pushing for the government to appoint a ministry for porn to make sure the issue gets addressed. 'You can't leave the pitch on this stuff just because you're worried about being accused of being too strait-laced,' she added. A review, commissioned by Rishi Sunak's government and led by Baroness Gabby, proposed banning degrading, violent and misogynistic pornography. The report, which was published in February this year, urged ministers to give Ofcom further powers to police porn sites for dangerous material. It also suggested banning online porn videos that would be deemed too harmful for any certificate in the offline world. One of the report's recommendations, making strangulation in pornography illegal, has now been accepted by the government. Minister for victims and tackling violence against women, Alex Davies-Jones, said that 'cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated'. Recent research published by Ofcom found that eight per cent of children aged eight to 14 have watched online pornography. Boys aged 13 to 14 were the most likely viewers, with two out of 10 visiting adult sites. Major porn sites, including Pornhub, Stripchat and Youporn, have agreed to implement stronger age verification measures, with platforms now facing fines of 10 per cent of their global turnover if they fail to make changes.
The Independent
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Labour should introduce minister for porn, Conservative peer says
Labour should appoint a minister for porn to tackle the wave of 'violent, abusive and misogynistic' images, a Conservative peer has said. Baroness Gabby Bertin, who leads the Independent Pornography Review Taskforce, said that MPs shy away from tackling abuse in the porn industry out of embarrassment. 'We're really British about it so we don't want to have a graphic conversation about sex and porn. But you've got to shout about it as loudly as possible. The reason why we've got into this mess is because nobody has really wanted to talk about it,' she told The Guardian. She is pushing for the government to appoint a ministry for porn to make sure the issue gets addressed. 'You can't leave the pitch on this stuff just because you're worried about being accused of being too strait-laced,' she added. A review, commissioned by Rishi Sunak's government and led by Baroness Gabby, proposed banning degrading, violent and misogynistic pornography. The report, which was published in February this year, urged ministers to give Ofcom further powers to police porn sites for dangerous material. It also suggested banning online porn videos that would be deemed too harmful for any certificate in the offline world. One of the report's recommendations, making strangulation in pornography illegal, has now been accepted by the government. Minister for victims and tackling violence against women, Alex Davies-Jones, said that 'cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated'. Recent research published by Ofcom found that eight per cent of children aged eight to 14 have watched online pornography. Boys aged 13 to 14 were the most likely viewers, with two out of 10 visiting adult sites. Major porn sites, including Pornhub, Stripchat and Youporn, have agreed to implement stronger age verification measures, with platforms now facing fines of 10 per cent of their global turnover if they fail to make changes.
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
UK bans porn depicting act that has become a ‘sexual norm'
The UK has banned pornography that depicts a violent act in a bid to stop the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls. The government announced it will criminalise pornography that depicts acts of strangulation. This comes after the Independent Porn Review, which was conducted by Baroness Gabby Bertin. The review found that pornography has effectively made strangulation a 'sexual norm' and a 'safe' act to engage in. The amendment will be made to the Crime and Policing Bill. Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims and tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, said; 'Depicting strangulation during sex is not only dangerous, but also degrading, with real life consequences for women. 'Cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated.' Meanwhile Andrea Simon, the director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) said the organisation welcomed the government's decision after EVAW's years of campaigning. 'There is no such thing as safe strangulation; women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory. Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people,' she said. 'This is a vital step towards recognising the role violent pornography plays in shaping attitudes to women and regulating an industry which promotes and profits from violence against women.' What is happening in Australia? Last year, a study was released called Prevalence of Sexual Strangulation/Choking Among Australian 18–35 Year-Olds conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland. The study interviewed 4702 Australians in this age range to look at the prevalence of strangulation — also known as choking — during sex. It found that 57 per cent had reported being strangled during sex — this was 61 per cent of women, 79 per cent of trans and gender diverse people and 43 per cent of men. Around 51 per cent had reported strangling a partner. The frequency of engaging in the act, the pressure to take part and how consent was given varied across the genders. 'These findings suggest strangulation is common during sex among young Australians,' the study read. 'Non-stigmatising education strategies are needed to engage with young people so they have a better understanding of the risks involved and how to negotiate consent and safety regarding sexual strangulation.' This is despite the fact that strangulation has been criminalised in every Australian state and territory. Respect Victoria asserted that strangulation during sex is not always done with consent — and even when it is, 'there is no safe way' to engage in it with risk of oxygen deprivation and long term brain injury. In Australia, It Left No Marks was established after Women's Health NSW recognised a need to support those who had been impacted by non-fatal strangulation during sexual assault. Could the UK ban work in Australia? Karen Bevan, the CEO of Full Stop Australia, said strangulation doesn't have a safe limit. 'While we use a lot of different terms to describe this, whatever you call it — strangulation or sexual choking — the bottom line is that putting pressure on someone's neck so they struggle to breathe is extremely risky,' she told 'There is pretty good research that shows us that there are serious impacts.' Full Stop Australia has always held the view that violent pornography is problematic and should be the focus of regulation — but this is complex and requires whole systems of surveillance, monitoring and follow up. She said what is being done in the UK is an 'end of the line' response. She said that while there are strong arguments to criminalise violent pornography, we need to understand effective prevention at all levels. She said in Australia, conversations about violent pornography took place in the NSW Porn Harms Inquiry held last month. It's also being discussed in the context of domestic and sexual violence, focusing on people making sure it's understood how serious it is. 'We're definitely in this conversation — the question is, what is the effective response if you want real change? Violent pornography is a really problematic part of the big picture of sexual violence and we have consistently said we need to regulate violent pornography,' she said. 'But what we don't want to see is harm to sex workers who are the easy end of police action and are often used in this as a pawn. It's the makers of pornography and the bigger picture drivers of this we need to attack. It's a complex issue but there are some definite indicators that the health impacts of strangulation are so serious that we have to take serious action. It has to include legal and criminal responses. 'But the first thing we need to do is that our community understands the seriousness of it and that health professionals are well equipped to act.' Anecdotally, strangulation has been widely normalised as part of a sexual encounter and has been going on for some time, Ms Bevan said. She said it hasn't always been the case, which is why it needs to be talked about and positive education around sex is needed to counteract the influence of pornography. She said that in the context of domestic violence, strangulation is seen as a 'red flag for escalation of violence'. 'When practitioners hear about strangulation as part of a broader campaign of control and abuse, they will see it as a real step for serious concerns for this woman's safety,' she said. 'Strangulation is often seen in tandem with sexual violence in the context of domestic violence and it can be used as part of that coercive and controlling behaviours.' She said strangulation often doesn't leave marks, which is a misconception among the community. Ms Bevan said it needs to be clear that criminal responses are part of the conversation — but they should be used at the end of the picture and what is needed is positive conversations about what the community thinks is safe. She said criminal penalties need to target who have real accountability for them. Chanel Contos, CEO and founder of Teach Us Consent, told that the normalisation of strangulation in pornography is 'deeply concerning and incredibly dangerous'. 'Traditionally, a sexual partner strangling you was one of the highest indicators that you were at risk of being murdered by them. Now, porn has normalised the act, with over half of all young people in Australia using strangulation during sex,' Ms Contos said. 'This move to criminalise sexual strangulation in pornography by the UK Government acknowledges the harms that sexual strangulation in porn can pose, but fails to address the crux of the problem — that young people are using porn as a substitute for sex education and it is changing the way they are intimate.' She said people are viewing pornography at the average age of 13, before having the opportunity to explore sexuality themselves. 'Pornography is currently a primary form of sex education for young people, and much of the most popular content contains non-consensual behaviour and violent, misogynistic themes. It also does not show the nuances and full spectrum of sexual intimacy,' she said. 'Young people deserve access to comprehensive sex education that helps them develop healthy, consensual intimate relationships. They also deserve safeguards that can reduce the accessibility of pornographic content online, including through the use of age verification technology'. 'At the NSW Porn Harms Inquiry in May, Teach Us Consent called on Government to roll out a national campaign on porn and media literacy, the mandate of verification technology across porn sites, and for porn literacy to become part of Australia's comprehensive sex education. This action can't wait.'
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'Choking porn' to be BANNED by Labour under new measures outlawing 'any act of strangulation' on sick sex sites
All pornography showing strangulation and choking will be banned within months, Labour has announced. Laws will be brought in to criminalise 'pornography depicting any act of strangulation'. It comes amid growing concern over the act being normalised in adult movies, and the effect it is having on young adults' sex lives. Legal changes will be made as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which is currently going through Parliament, meaning the ban is expected to be in force by the end of the year. Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said: 'Depicting strangulation during sex is not only dangerous, but also degrading, with real life consequences for women. 'Cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated.' A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) source said young people may be unaware of the long-term harm strangulation can have. The Government's Independent Porn Review, led by Baroness Gabby Bertin, found that pornographers had effectively established choking as a 'sexual norm'. The review, published in February, said: 'Non-fatal strangulation pornography (commonly known as 'choking' in pornography) should be illegal to possess, distribute, and publish.' It added: 'Non-fatal strangulation or 'choking' sex is perhaps the starkest example of where online violent pornography has changed 'offline' behaviour. ''Choking' sex is now being normalised with a survey showing 38 per cent of women aged 18-39 have been choked during sex. 'So-called 'choking' content, where there is external pressure on the neck, is rife on platforms that host pornography and is a very popular category of content. 'The review has evidence to show the influence that media sources, including pornography, have had in establishing choking as a sexual norm. An official review found 'so-called 'choking' content, where there is external pressure on the neck, is rife on platforms that host pornography' and called for it to be banned 'People acting it out in their sex lives may face devastating consequences. 'Evidence shows that even a small amount of pressure to the neck can harm the brain, and there is no safe way to strangle a person.' The MoJ spokesman said they were unable to say how the new law would operate, particularly because a large amount of online pornography is on overseas-based websites. But Baroness Bertin's review suggested the Government should amend the Obscene Publications Act 1959 so it 'captures this type of content, so it cannot be published or distributed'. Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: 'We welcome the government's decision to criminalise the depiction of strangulation in pornography. 'There is no such thing as safe strangulation. Women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory. 'Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people.' She added: 'This is a vital step towards recognising the role violent pornography plays in shaping attitudes to women and regulating an industry which promotes and profits from violence against women.' Details of how the ban will work are due to be published at a later date.
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Violent pornography showing strangulation to be banned
Strangulation in pornography will be banned after a review warned violent depictions have effectively established choking as a 'sexual norm'. The government has announced plans to make any pornography showing strangulation illegal as part of their pledge to tackle violence against women and girls. It is already a criminal offence to possess porn depicting life-threatening acts, such as graphic strangulation. But the government is set to tighten up laws, warning 'dangerous online material is perpetuating the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls'. It comes after the Independent Porn Review, conducted by Baroness Gabby Bertin, found that media sources have normalised such acts and created a belief that choking a partner during sex is safe because it is non-fatal. Announcing the changes, minister for victims and tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said: 'Depicting strangulation during sex is not only dangerous, but also degrading, with real lifeconsequences for women. 'Cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated.' The move was welcomed by Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), who says experts have 'long warned' of the dangers of normalising violence against women in online content. 'There is no such thing as safe strangulation; women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory,' she said. 'Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people. 'This is a vital step towards recognising the role violent pornography plays in shaping attitudes to women and regulating an industry which promotes and profits from violence against women. The UK's flagship Online Safety Act must now be updated to ensure online platforms are made to remove this content.'
