VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, incest, child abuse, ‘pimping’ and sexual trafficking are just some of the harrowing themes that a report has said are widespread in mainstream pornography content.

A review of content, freely available on popular outlets, has highlighted that extreme violence against women is prolific in the industry.

Routine acts included slapping and spitting on women, hair pulling and carrying out harmful and painful acts.

Women’s Aid commissioned the review, which was largely reliant on research on content from the United Kingdom and United States but that is also available in Ireland.

The report detailed that content depicting women acting as young girls or ‘role-playing’ incest and child sexual abuse are increasingly common features among mainstream pornography. 

Women’s Aid have now called for urgent interventions to mitigate the potential harms caused by excessive consumption porn.

Frank and public discussions, better educational practices, child protective measures and targeted legislation against the pornography industry are just some ways that the charity has recommended as to how the Government can intervene.

Porn featuring ‘teens’ three times more likely to be violent

Last year, a judge also called for ‘rigorous restrictions’ to be placed on pornography in Ireland after a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 18 months in Oberstown Detention Centre for the sexual assault of a young woman.

The court heard the boy had been watching porn since he was 11 years old. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has previously said that restrictions on pornographic material will be included in her ‘Zero Tolerance’ plan – to curb gender-based violence.

According to the review, videos in the ‘Teen’ category are far more likely to feature violent scenes. Titles of films specifically referencing female teenages are three time more likely to indicate aggressive actions, the report found.

These title included words such as ‘destroyed’, and mentions of homework, school uniforms and braces.

The report seeks to remind its readers that “pornography is real” and that while women might appear to be ‘acting’ or ‘role playing’, it does not make the actions depicted in the videos any less “painful or degrading”.

Ruth Breslin, the Director of The SERP Institute and co-author of the report alongside Dr. Monica O’Connor, said a broader, public conversation must also about the issue, in the context of a porn-saturated culture.

“Educating young people about consent has made great strides in Ireland in recent years thanks to several dedicated programmes,” she said.

“However, this progress is being undermined by the fact that boys’ sexual expectations of girls are being moulded by pornography, while at the same time girls’ have been groomed by pornography to submit to acts that they do not want and do not enjoy.”

Breslin adds that it may be necessary to “re-wire” our understanding of our framework for sexual consent to include mutuality, to allow more nuance and incorporate a greater understandings of personal preferences – particularly amongst younger people.