Pornography a public harm like smoking, warn MPS

Report calls for it to be treated as a health issue and claims it has fuelled rise in sexual harassment

PORNOGRAPHY should be treated as a public health issue just like smoking and ministers should launch an advertising campaign to stop people from watching it, a new report states.

Men should be warned of the impact pornography has on wider society and the dangers it poses, the Commons women and equalities committee said, while viewing it on public transport should also be banned.

MPS made the recommendations in a new cross-party report because of growing concerns about the way pornography influences male attitudes towards women amid a rise in sexual harassment allegations.

The report, published today, details the many different ways in which women are sexually harassed or abused in society, from school and university to public transport, bars and clubs and the workplace.

Following a nine-month inquiry it concludes that the Government must do more to change social attitudes and encourage young men to think again about what makes a man, after MPS heard evidence that ideas about masculinity often fuel sexual harassment.

It states: “There is a significant relationship between belief in traditional masculine gender norms and acceptability of public sexual harassment.

“The small group of men [and smaller group of women] who believe that public sexual harassment is very acceptable show a higher level of agreement with traditional masculine gender norms such as that men should be the provider or men should act strong even when they don’t feel it.” The MPS’ report says pornography should be treated as a public health concern and ministers should attempt to shift social attitudes towards it in the way they have done on smoking – which is now viewed as less socially acceptable than ever before.

It also states that the Government’s approach to porn is “non consistent”, adding: “It restricts adults’ access to offline pornography to licensed premises and is introducing age verification of commercial pornography online to prevent children’s exposure to it.

“But the Government has no plans to address adult men’s use of mainstream online pornography, despite research suggesting men who use pornography are more likely to hold sexist attitudes and be sexually aggressive to women.

“There are examples of lawful

‘There is a relationship between masculine gender norms and acceptability of public sexual harassment’

behaviours which the Government recognises as harmful, such as smoking, which are addressed through public health campaigns and huge investment designed to reduce and prevent those harms,” the MPS added.

“The Government should take a similar, evidence-based approach to addressing the harms of pornography,” they conclude.

The report also calls on bus and train companies to ban people from watching pornography on public transport and urges experts to look at whether new laws are needed to tackle the problem.

Maria Miller MP, chairman of the women and equalities committee, said: “Sexual harassment [is] the most common form of violence against women and girls and the damage is far-reaching. Public places must be made safe for all women and girls.”