GOVERNMENT BANS PORNOGRAPHY DEPICTING STRANGULATION AND SUFFOCATION

The government says a ban on possessing or publishing pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation takes effect on 6 November. Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, said the restrictions also cover sexual activity between certain relatives and adults roleplaying as children under 16. The measures form part of the Crime and Policing Bill. Davies-Jones said the government intends the restrictions to protect women and girls from harm.

Davies-Jones linked the measures to the government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. She said: “For many people, it is still easy to access harmful pornography online.” The changes follow the introduction of requirements under the Online Safety Act to restrict access to adult content through identity checks. The new restrictions make possessing or distributing the specified material a criminal offence, including material that was previously legal.

A study by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation found that more than two in five sexually active under-18s in the UK had strangled someone or experienced strangulation during sex. The study also found that more than half of under-35s had experienced it. Vicky Young, head of Stop It Now at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, warned that exposure to such pornography could lead young people to regard violent behaviour as normal without understanding the risks. Davies-Jones said: “This isn’t about criminalising harmless sexual preferences.”