Sign our petition – End the use of trafficking to fuel Pornography

Human trafficking is increasingly being revealed as a major problem worldwide.  Here in the UK, we are slowly waking up to the fact that it flourishes in our cities too, like a many-headed hydra, which is extremely difficult to destroy.  We know, for instance, that it forms a major part of the sex industry – but what many have not realised is that it is the victims of this abuse who are used for the production of the more extreme and degrading forms of online pornography. 

Let’s make no mistake, the pornography industry (tastefully branded as ‘adult movies’) flourishes because it brings in huge financial return.  It’s big business – no longer the preserve of grubby men in brown macs, creeping round the back streets, but driven by highly organised crime syndicates, who are entirely ruthless in ‘growing the market’.  And who care not one jot for the wellbeing of their performers. 

The average shelf life of a young woman caught up in this industry is 6 months.  At the end of that time she is usually too physically wrecked to continue.  Sometimes these girls never recover.  Effectively, their lives are over before they’ve begun.

But the damage done is more far-reaching than this.  Pornography is now known to be addictive – it alters the brain, changes behaviours, and wrecks the ability to form and hold normal relationships.  In the US, it is shockingly claimed that 40% of all divorces are result of porn addiction.  But it gets worse.  Children are apparently accessing these videos online – not, initially, because they want to see such extreme portrayals, but because they want to learn about sex: what to expect and how to do it.  And they are learning the lessons only too well, with the result that young boys now believe sex is not only violent, but that women enjoy it that way.  Is it surprising we are seeing ever increasing numbers of rape?  Is it surprising we are seeing growing numbers of violent sex attacks between children, with boys of eleven raping their eight year old sisters?  A few years ago this sort of thing would have been unheard of, yet now it’s becoming commonplace.  Because our society is not just overly sexualised, but has become acclimatised to perverted sex, stoked by pornography. 

People talk about freedom, and the right of individual choice and expression – but a morally responsible society should neverprotect the right to inflict harm and degradation on another human being.  Especially, it should not protect the right to misuse other human beings, who themselves have no right of choice.

Which is why VfJUK has started a petition calling for Government to put in place measures to end this vile industry, fed by victims of trafficking, which is causing such damage both to victims, and to society.  It can be found at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/end-the-use-of-trafficking-to-fuel-pornography.html 

Please, sign today, and pass it on as widely as possible to your contacts.  Together we can stop this horrific trade.  We do not have the right to do nothing.