Opening thought:
I hope that this article will provide you with research and motivate you to despise the Pornographic Sexual Exploitation Industry. Instead of being discouraged, I urge you to press on, each day no matter how many times you fail, to overcome addiction, and to live a porn-free life.
Does porn addiction fuel prostitution, sexual violence, and sex trafficking?
I have had many conversations with friends on porn use. If I ever address it as a danger to society or cause of sexual violence, or sex trafficking, I am often directly or indirectly told my opinions are wrong, crazy, super traditional, or prudish.
Some of the responses include: “Most people who watch porn are fine and would never hurt anyone”, “A little porn once in awhile is harmless”, “Porn is not comparable to the things you describe” “rape would have happened regardless of porn”.
These responses are consistent with the Barna Group’s research that only one in 10 teens (13-17) and one in 20 young adults (18-24) say their friends think viewing porn is a bad thing.
The first key point is we live in a pornified society: 57% of young adults seek porn at least once a month, 49% of young adults say all or most of their friends use porn regularly. 46% seek out porn at least once a month (Barna Group, 2015).
Mary Anne Layden, a psychotherapist and director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, describes the society we are living in as pornified.
“A pornified society means that sex is a product and the body is a commodity. If it is a product, you can sell it, and steal it. Selling it is the sexual exploitation: and stealing it is sexual violence.
Most women involved in the sex industry are adult survivors of sexual abuse. She argues that the sexual exploitation industry, and sexual violence are a seamless interconnected continuum. She describes Porn as the visual invasion for money. Strip clubs are live visual invasion for money. Prostitution is live and physical invasion for money. Rape is live visual and physical invasion by (no money) force/without consent. Sex Trafficking, Live visual and physical invasion for money by force without/consent. All of this is the seamless interconnected continuum.”
According to this research pornography can not be separated from prostitution. Pornography is one step, which can lead to sex trafficking.
What are the messages we receive from pornography?
In her research Dr. Layden describes several of the most prominent themes the pornography industry produces.
“-Sex is not about intimacy, caring, love or respect.
-Sex is not about marriage or having children.
-Sex is recreation.
-You don’t need to know your partner.
-Sex with strangers is the best and most intense kind of sex.
-Sex is adversarial.
-Porn is a one way street with focus only on one’s own pleasure. There is no need to consider the other needs or feelings.
-Women’s bodies are just sexual entertainment for men.
-Internet Porn tends to be designer sex. You keep clicking until you find the idealized or the preferred image of the moment.
-That she got what “she wanted” when she was raped.”
Maybe these messages don’t immediately impact people who first watch porn. But when under exposure for a long time, the messages and ‘normalization’ of porn seep into the brain. These messages impact the subconscious and conscious decision-making choices, and lead further to prostitution, sexual violence, and sex trafficking.
What does prostitution have to do with this?
Similar to porn, prostitution is also deemed acceptable by a ‘pornified’ society as long as there is mutual consent. When I worked for a Member of Parliament, a bill was passed that would criminalize the purchase of sex, and decriminalize the act of prostitution. Our office was flooded with responses and criticisms. “Prostitution is just a job like any other job.” “It’s the oldest profession around.” “This law would take clients and business away from people who are just trying to make a living” “It is a women’s right to use her body however she wants”, “Prostitution should be legalized the way it is in the Netherlands”.
Does this sound familiar?
I want you to think about whatever job you are currently working, or have worked in the past. Would these statistics be acceptable in your field of work:
“84% of prostitutes have been or are currently homeless. 55-90% of prostitutes were sexually abused as a child. 70-95% of prostituted women have been physically assaulted and 55% prostituted by customers. 77% of prostitutes receive head injuries. 64% of prostitutes are threatened with weapons. Death rate among prostitutes is 40x higher than the general population. 73-85% of Prostitutes have been raped and 48% of prostitutes have been raped more than 5 times. 68% of prostitutes have faced post-traumatic stress.” (Set Free Summit, Layden, 2016).
“Just a job like any other job!”
Whatever the effects of prostitution are, sexual violence and sex trafficking is uglier and even more heart-wrenching. The pro-porn, pro-prostitution responses may not have a malicious intent behind them, however; they are directly justifying a cycle of objectifying and dehumanizing men and women into tools that serves us. We have the awareness, tools, and resources to fight and defeat the tyranny of the Pornographic Sexual Exploitation Industry and its horrific consequences.