By Diana Stancy
Pornography is the public health crisis of the digital age.
This is what a panel of experts concluded at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s Capitol symposium as they discussed the harmful ramifications of pornography. Specifically, they evaluated pornography’s influence on sex trafficking, child exploitation and sexual violence.
“This is not only a public health issue, it is a social justice issue,” said Cordelia Anderson, founder of Sensibilities Prevention Services. “It’s not the sex that’s the problem, it’s the violence. It’s not the nudity that’s the problem, it’s the novelty.”
The panel identified ways pornography contributes to violence against women. According to a 2010 study published in Violence Against Women, nearly 90 percent of 304 pornographic scenes evaluated by experts included physical aggression including spanking, gagging and slapping. Recipients of these violent misdemeanors were most frequently women.
Additionally, multiple studies were cited indicating increased rates of behavioral violence and aggression against women and children among men who view pornography.
