The Standing Committee on Health has tabled their report based on motion M-47, the study of the harmful effects of violent sexually-explicit material.
There were strong indications that the report would be an excellent starting point on how to address the problem of pornography in Canada. However, in response to the report, motion sponsor MP Arnold Viersen has expressed disappointment that:
▪ Only two paragraphs of the report are devoted to looking at the impact of violent pornography on public health.
▪ The report is silent on academic research that violent and degrading pornography contributes to rape culture, objectifies women and subjects them to violent acts, desensitizes viewers to violence against women, is used to groom children for sexual abuse, etc.
▪ The report repeatedly states that there is 'significant debate' around the academic research despite the overwhelming unanimity of witnesses and the fact that not one witness disputed the negative public health impact of the ease of access and the viewing of violent pornography on youth.
| ▪ | Only two paragraphs of the report are devoted to looking at the impact of violent pornography on public health. |
| ▪ | The report is silent on academic research that violent and degrading pornography contributes to rape culture, objectifies women and subjects them to violent acts, desensitizes viewers to violence against women, is used to groom children for sexual abuse, etc. |
| ▪ | The report repeatedly states that there is 'significant debate' around the academic research despite the overwhelming unanimity of witnesses and the fact that not one witness disputed the negative public health impact of the ease of access and the viewing of violent pornography on youth. |
Ultimately, MP Viersen says, the Committee's recommendations do very little to protect children from accessing violent pornography or to address the impact of violent porn on rape culture & violence against women.
Next Steps // What You Can Do:
The government now has 120 days to reply to the report's recommendations. He is what you can do:
1) PRAY:
Please pray that Members of Parliament would become more aware and burdened over the ease of access and harmful effects of violent pornography in Canada, especially on Canadian youth. Pray that each MP would want to do more to stand against pornography and all of its negative impacts on our society. At the same time, let's pray protection over our children & youth online and that all Canadians struggling with addiction would be set free and become vocal on how pornography has negatively impacted their lives.
2) CONTACT YOUR MP:
We are encouraging you to once again contact your Member of Parliament regarding Motion 47 and ask them to do more to restrict access to pornography and better protect Canadians from the harmful effects of sexually-explicit material.
Option 1: Please use this Easy Mail tool to send a pre-written e-mail to your MP now. Simply click here and choose the letter titled "Motion 47 report needs to be reassessed."
Option 2: Alternatively, you can write your own letter encouraging the government/your MP to develop a more comprehensive Public Health Response that includes some of the key recommendations made to the committee, such as:
▪ Introducing meaningful age verification systems
▪ Updating sexual health curriculum with warnings about pornography
▪ Working with the porn industry to develop Opt-In Filters
▪ Providing funding for more research
▪ Developing a Public Health Awareness Campaign
▪ Developing Education/Tools for Parents
| ▪ | Introducing meaningful age verification systems |
| ▪ | Updating sexual health curriculum with warnings about pornography |
| ▪ | Working with the porn industry to develop Opt-In Filters |
| ▪ | Providing funding for more research |
| ▪ | Developing a Public Health Awareness Campaign |
| ▪ | Developing Education/Tools for Parents |
Click here to find your MP by postal code.
