To research and write about the realities of violent and degrading internet pornography and its harms can be an overwhelming task. It is disturbing to learn about the kind of material that is out there at the click of a mouse or swipe on a smartphone.
It is perhaps even more distressing to discover the many ways it is impacting the sexual, relational, and psychological health of children, youth and adults – and the health of our culture.
But it's a reality we cannot afford to ignore, as individuals, churches, parents or as a society. Instead, it's a problem that calls for broad-based action.
Last fall, the EFC condensed some of our research and concerns about the impact of violent pornography on violence against young women and girls into a four-page submission to the Status of Women committee.
Our brief highlighted the public health impact of pornography, and the links between Internet porn and sexual violence, especially when it’s viewed at younger ages.
We argued that any study of the violence faced by young women and girls today must look at how the messages and lessons of widespread, accessible, online pornography are contributing. We asked the federal government to study the public health impact of porn and to take measures to restrict its harms, especially to children.
The Status of Women committee has just released its report.
The report notes the EFC’s submission and, while it does not focus extensively on the issue of pornography, it recommends two ways to limit the harm and find out more about the impact of violent and degrading pornography:
Recommendation 5
That the Government of Canada examine E-safety models or increased controls to prevent violent and degrading sexually explicit material from being accessed by youth under the age of majority and examine how violent and degrading sexually explicit material distorts young people’s ideas of consent, gender equality and healthy relationships.
Recommendation 40
That the Government of Canada, through Statistics Canada, allocate additional funding to research and data collection that focuses on intersectional violence against young women and girls in Canada, particularly in the areas of hypersexualization, violent and degrading sexually explicit material, sex trafficking, street harassment, cyberviolence, violence on post-secondary campuses, and men and boys’ views of gender-based violence.
It’s encouraging that the committee heard the concerns expressed by the EFC and others about the impact of violent pornography. The Health Committee, which is currently studying Motion M47 on the public health effects of violent and degrading sexual imagery online, will hear many of these same concerns echoed (by us and by many others) in the course of their work.
These two studies help foster understanding and raise awareness of the public health harms of online pornography among those who have the ability to effect change. Ask your MP to respond to these harms and to support federal government action on these two recommendations from the Status of Women Committee.
Together, we can take steps to seek the well-being of our nation.
Author:
Julia Beazley