Samantha Browne says ban will help stop young people thinking violent practice is normal or safe
An anti-trafficking campaigner has welcomed the ban on pornography featuring strangulation, known as “choking”, saying it will help stop young people thinking it is a normal and safe practice.
Samantha Browne, who suffered exploitation as a teenager in the adult industry, said the ban would help prevent children mimicking violent sex they have seen onscreen, and she hoped it would open the door to ending other forms of abusive pornography.
The amendment to the crime and policing bill will make it a criminal offence to possess or publish porn featuring strangulation or suffocation. Platforms will have to take action to ensure it is not available to people in the UK.
While critics said it would be difficult to police given that most porn consumed in the UK is produced overseas, Browne, a former adult performer who now delivers workshops in schools about consent and exploitation, said it would help children understand they did not need to carry out or tolerate abusive sex acts.
