The UK government will ban choking in porn, as Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson says ‘there is absolutely no place for violent, misogynistic and harmful content online’
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson has made a firm commitment to outlaw pornography that depicts acts of strangulation and suffocation.
The ban will now be implemented through an amendment to the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced by peers after the comprehensive draft legislation successfully passed through the Commons on June 18.
In a resolute statement, Dame Diana asserted that: “there is absolutely no place for violent, misogynistic and harmful content online”, following calls from multiple MPs to broaden the scope of what constitutes “extreme pornographic images”.
Conservative former minister Dame Caroline Dinenage had attempted to modify the Bill in the Commons by proposing a new clause, but her efforts were rejected by 310 votes to 114, a majority of 196. Dame Caroline’s proposed clause aimed to prohibit images and videos showcasing “an act which affects a person’s ability to breathe and constitutes battery of that person”.
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‘Strangling your partner in bed is not safe’
During the debate, Dame Caroline urged her fellow MPs to take action, stating: “We need to send a signal that strangling your partner in bed is not safe. It can be a precursor to coercive, abusive behaviour.”
As chairwoman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dame Caroline further highlighted the prevalence of online pornography in the UK, revealing that over 10 million adults access it every month, with the majority being men.
While acknowledging individual freedoms, Dame Caroline also pointed to disturbing research findings that show one in 10 children have been exposed to online pornography by the age of nine. “Unfortunately, it is the guide that many young people use to learn about sex, and that is why I’m extremely worried that non-fatal strangulation has been found to be rife on porn sites.”
Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley, who previously served as culture secretary for the Conservatives, lent her support to the ban, telling the Commons: “This is not impacting on what people may wish to do in their private lives, but it does mean that those images would not then be available to be seen in pornographic films.”
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She continued, underscoring child protection concerns: “And it means that there’s protection for children who may be looking at this pornography. We don’t want them to look at it, but we’re realists, we recognise this happens, and it would mean that this doesn’t normalise something which is a really dangerous act and really should not be being promoted in any way.”
The push for such a prohibition included Labour MP for Lowestoft Jess Asato, who had proposed a similar ban targeting depictions of “an act of choking, suffocating or strangling another person”, though it wasn’t brought to a vote.
‘There is no place for violent, misogynistic content online’
In response, Dame Diana expressed her views firmly: “There is absolutely no place for violent, misogynistic and harmful content online that perpetuates violent views against women and girls and has the effect of doing them great harm.”
Her stance reflected deep concern over patterns of consumption leading to violent behaviours: “We know that the increasing prevalence of this kind of content outlined in this amendment is fuelling violent sexual encounters.”
Dame Diana acknowledged some technical shortcomings yet supported the intent behind the amendments: “While there are issues with the drafting for both these new clauses, the Government supports their underlying aim.”
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The commitment to tackle explicit content took a vital step forward as it was announced: “Accordingly, I am pleased to say that we will bring forward amendments in the Lords to criminalise pornography depicting strangulation and suffocation.”
Should the Bill succeed, it will establish novel respect orders, part of the Government’s strategy to clamp down on antisocial behaviour and implement a new obligation for reporting suspected child sex offences to police and councils in England.
Dame Diana also highlighted forthcoming plans, revealing: “The new violence against women and girls strategy will set out improvements in the way that we are going to tackle sexual harassment, and that’s due to be published before the summer recess.”
The Bill in question successfully passed through the Commons with a significant majority of 217 votes, tallying at 312 to 95, and is now set for more detailed examination in the House of Lords.