France's govt appointed watchdog finds 90% porn available online is violence against women

A government-appointed gender equality body in France has revealed in a study that up to 90% of explicit content online depicts verbal, physical, and sexual harm towards women, with a substantial portion of this violence being illegal under existing laws in France.

The High Council for Gender Equality in France delivered a strongly critical report to the government, calling for legal reforms to prosecute pornography producers and to remove harmful content to safeguard those who have been featured.

Following more than 18 months of investigations and the analysis of countless videos on major international adult websites, the report highlighted that in numerous videos, women were portrayed using demeaning sexist and racist stereotypes, enduring humiliation, objectification, dehumanization, physical assault, and torture – actions that violate both human dignity and French law.

The report stated, “The women are real, the sexual acts and violence are real, and the suffering is often prominently displayed and simultaneously sexualized.”

Additionally, the report cited the view of the French state prosecutor that the majority of pornography contained verbal and physical violence, which contravened French legislation.

A substantial portion of the content was classified as torture, and the report stressed that any so-called contracts in this context were legally null and void since an individual cannot provide consent for torture, sexual exploitation, or trafficking. The report called for the punishment of recorded acts of violence, asserting their illegality.

The report strongly criticized the French government and authorities for their “inaction” over the years, despite persistent advocacy by the pornography industry for freedom of expression. It insisted on ending what it termed the state’s “blindness and denial,” which had granted the pornography sector “complete impunity.”

Statistics from Arcom, the French audiovisual regulator, revealed that 51% of 12-year-old boys in France accessed pornography every month. The report contended that the extensive consumption of pornography from an early age perpetuated a culture of sexual violence.

Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, the head of the French gender equality body, expressed on France Inter radio that there was “no justification in 2023 for tolerating these unlawful acts of unbearable torment” that were accessible to minors. She labeled pornography as “a breeding ground for sexual violence” that had to be halted.

The report recommended that Pharos, the French state platform designed to combat illegal online content, should be expanded to cover instances of violence against women in pornography, as it was found to be inadequate in addressing sexual violence.

In France, judges are currently investigating numerous cases involving pornography producers. In one case related to a French pornography website, 17 men will stand trial on charges of rape, group rape, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, involving at least 40 victims. Other French pornography producers face charges of human trafficking, rape, or rape combined with acts of torture. However, the report highlighted the protracted legal processes.

“For the few dozen victims whose cases make it to the justice system, there are millions of unchecked videos circulating, thriving on misogynistic violence and hatred, to the general indifference,” the report emphasized.

Bérangère Couillard, the French minister for gender equality and the fight against discrimination, penned an opinion piece for the Journal du Dimanche, asserting that millions of online videos depicted acts of torture and inhumane cruelty.

She stated, “We must put a stop to this. While the government is already addressing the issue of minors accessing such content, there is much work to be done in combatting violence in the pornography industry and in protecting women.”