International Coalition Calls on Major Card Companies to Cease Work with Porn Industry

As detailed in coverage from the BBC, an international coalition of child safety and anti-sexual exploitation organizations and advocates—spearheaded by our newly-launched International Centre on Sexual Exploitation (ICOSE)—has launched a trailblazing grassroots advocacy campaign against the exploitative hardcore pornography industry by sending a joint letter to major credit card and payment processing companies.

The letter in question (embedded below) calls on these corporations to end any association with the sexual abuse and exploitation that are endemic to the modern online pornography industry and it was sent directly to executives at MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and more in early May 2020.

This crucial campaign stands as the first international effort to advocate for this change.

For those unfamiliar with the case against the pornography industry, here is just a small sample of the sexual abuse and exploitation that are inherent to the “work” that they do:

Here, so there is no confusion, is the nature of the practice of pornography: it promotes violent, misogynistic, and often criminal themes such as child sexual abuse, incest, and racism – including slavery role play targeting black women and Holocaust pornography. The pornography industry is one that profits from many outright crimes: assault, battery, fraud, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, rape, obscenity, defamation, and child sexual abuse. [Source]

We need the movement to end sexual exploitation, made up of passionate advocates such as yourself, to stand up together by leveraging this unique opportunity to take action and raise awareness on a global scale.

By collectively coming forward to confront these massive international brands with the truth about the exploitation of the pornography industry, we have the opportunity to ensure that they come face-to-face with the truth and are compelled to make a decision about whether they want to be complicit with sexual exploitation.

Here’s what we all need to do to help this effort succeed:

1. Complete this easy-to-use Advocacy Action. We have embedded the action below and it allows you to quickly send an email directly to corporate executives at all of the card companies in question.
2. Share this blog—and the BBC article—far and wide. Many people have yet to be confronted with the truth about the sexual abuse and exploitation of the pornography industry and they need to learn!

Letter Signed By:

Haley McNamara
International Centre on Sexual Exploitation
UNITED KINGDOM

Patrick A. Trueman
National Center on Sexual Exploitation
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Melinda Tankard Reist
Collective Shout
AUSTRALIA

Anna Zobnina
European Network of Migrant Women
BELGIUM

Andrea Baker
Word Made Flesh Bolivia
BOLIVIA

Glendyne Gerrard
Defend Dignity
CANADA

Heidi Als Ringheim
Media Health for Children and Youth
DENMARK

Lisa-Marie Taylor
FiLiA
ENGLAND

Vanessa Morse
CEASE UK
ENGLAND

Ruchira Gupta
Apne Aap
INDIA

Rachel Moran
Survivor Advocate
IRELAND

Alvin Winford
African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect
LIBERIA

Dr Darryl Mead
The Reward Foundation
SCOTLAND

Meghan Donevan,
Talita
SWEDEN

Godfrey Kuteesa,
The Boys’ Mentorship Programme
UGANDA