A 'dangerous' sex act often depicted in pornography will be banned to protect women from violence, the UK government has announced.
The UK ban focuses on 'choking porn', and aims to criminalise any ‘pornography depicting any act of strangulation’ through the Crime and Policing Bill.
According to a press release, in February, the Independent Porn Review found that choking during sex had been normalised through the consumption of pornography, as well as having created the belief that it is safe to choke a partner during sex because it is non-fatal.
Baroness Gabby Bertin, who conducted the review, told the BBC that online pornography was fuelling the 'gravest issues in our society, from domestic violence to toxic masculinity to the mental health crisis among young people', and that it wasn't as 'properly scrutinised and regulated' as offline content.
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This 'degrading' content also has 'real-life consequences' for young women and girls, Minister for Victims and tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said.
"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, of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, also added: "We welcome the government’s decision to criminalise the depiction of strangulation in pornography.
"Women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory."
She continued: "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 Daily Mail reports that a survey showed that 38 per cent of women aged 18-39 had strangled during sex.
According to Durham University, in most media, it is often men depicted strangling women, with research also backing this up.
They add that the normalisation of strangulation during sex makes women feel like they cannot speak up when it is non-consensual, and makes it more difficult for women to leave abusive relationships.
Baroness Bertin's review also found that over a quarter of the nation accessed online porn regularly, with a third of men watching it once a week.
"You just have to go on the homepages of some of these mainstream sites and you will see of all that degrading content – particularly violent towards women – and it's all there for everyone to see." she said.
The government says that this is a vital step in their pledge to halve violence against women and girls as a part of the Plan for Change.
They add that further details on how the ban would be implemented are yet to be revealed.
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Social Media, Crime
Mia Williams