Pornography that depicts strangulation and incestuous relationships will be banned from early November, the UK government has announced. The content will be outlawed from 6 November after cross-party pressure prompted ministers to announce new legislation earlier this year. Online pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sex between people who are related or pretending to be related, or when somebody is pretending to be a child under 16, will be illegal.
The justice minister, Alex Davies-Jones, said: “This isn’t about criminalising harmless sexual preferences. But porn can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially young people. Her report found pornography that shows women being choked can have “devastating” real-world consequences.
It highlighted “disturbing” role-play, including incest and adults portraying children. The report said there had been a “total absence of government scrutiny” of the pornography industry. Non-fatal strangulation is already an offence in its own right, but it is not illegal to show it online.
Reacting to the announcement, Lady Bertin said: “It is very good news these offences will come into force, and not a moment too soon. Its interim director, Janaya Walker, said: “This is an important step towards tackling the normalisation of violence against women and girls, and the result of years of campaigning by EVAW and other experts who have raised concerns about the impact of violent pornography.
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