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SWAP Objection lodged with CEC Licencing Committee.....
“We should be more concerned than ever about the links between pornography and sexual
violence against women and children.”
- Catherine Harper, SWAP 2004
Full text of SWAP’s address to the Licensing Committee 12.03.04 ....
Some SWAP members made a point of visiting the so-called ‘Festival Erotique’ which was in
fact, a market place for the sale of extreme pornographic material and not ‘erotica’ as it
claimed. The pornographic videos, dvds and magazines for sale there, were overtly racist,
featuring disabled women and deliberately blurring the distinction between child, girl and woman.
With reference to our letter of objection:
In paragraph 2, we referenced material seen at this festival which poses a threat to
women and children’s safety and has in particular serious child protection concerns.
We have one example of the pornographic material for sale at last year’s ‘Festival Erotique’.
I ask you now to look at the handout.
This is the text on the back cover of a video. The front cover features a young
girl posed to look like a school girl. This type of material works by normalising
and validating sexual relationships between adults and children. From our knowledge of
experts working with sex offenders for the past 20 years, we are aware of how children
are targeted and groomed. They are persuaded by material like this video, that sexual
activity between adults and children is normal.
(The text has not been reproduced here due to the extreme nature of sexual abuse/incest
of the child described entitled ‘Daddy 0’. It was given as a hand out to the members of the
Licensing Committee to read.)
Specifically this text is a charter for paedophiles. Ray Wrye, Consultant
working with sex offenders is clear about the role that pornography plays he states
“Pornography is incredibly powerful in creating and maintaining distorted thinking,
the rape myths and child abuse myths that exist in society”. Wyre, R.(1992)
The members of the Licensing Committee have a particular responsibility and duty as decision
makers, to protect and keep safe, women and children in the community.
Either the CEC Licensing Committee are unaware of the harm of this material,which is
difficult to believe as we have repeatedly drawn their attention to the evidence that
links pornography to violence against women and children or they are prepared to disregard
the facts at the expense of women and children’s safety. The consequence of not taking
measures to protect women and children in the community are all too evident in the current media.
This week Britian and the USA announced plans to work together to shut down violent
pornographic websites after the Graham Coutts was convicted of the horrific murder of
Jane Longhurst just hours after viewing violent pornographic websites. Crimes such as
these do not take place in isolation but are part of the spectrum of behaviour in a
society that views women and children’s bodies as sexual objects for gratification.
-Catherine Harper
Inter-state research carried out in 50 states in the USA found a highly significant
correlation between the rate of reported rape and the amount of pornography in circulation – every 2%
increase in the circulation of pornography was linked to a 1% increase in the incidence of
rape reports. (Baron and Strauss)
In reference to our letter, it is imperative that the City of Edinburgh Council
recognize the link between the expansion of the sex industry and the continuing
rise in reported rapes and sexual assaults on women and children, as reported by
the Lothian and Borders Police. We know that numerous other council’s have already
implemented a policy of rejecting licenses from the sex industry The CEC must take
the responsible course of action by rejecting applications for the mainstreaming
sexual objectification of women for entertainment.
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