SW News: British lawmakers are seeking harsher regulations against pornography to help stop an epidemic of violence against women at the hands of men.

A bipartisan analysis has revealed that a sizable portion of mainstream pornography depicts men being physically violent against women and girls. An All-Party Parliamentary Committee on Commercial Sexual Exploitation spearheaded the analysis following the highly publicized Wayne Couzens trial in 2021.

Couzens had abducted, raped, and killed Sarah Everard. His former coworker said in court that the disgraced policeman had an "attraction to horrific sexual pornography." Couzens received a 19-month prison term after pleading guilty to three counts of indecent exposure that he had committed months before killing Sarah. The former Metropolitan Police officer, 50, has already begun serving a life sentence in prison for the killing of the 33-year-old.

The report by the cross-party group of MPs said there is extensive evidence that pornography triggers sexual violence, influences behavior, and perpetuates racist stereotypes. It claims that the availability of hazardous pornographic content to adults is not addressed by the internet safety measure, which would only mandate that pornographic websites verify that their visitors are not minors.

Some of the most well-known adult websites in the UK have been found to include unlawful pornographic material, such as movies depicting rape and child sexual abuse.

The report recommends several legal measures such as making regulation of pornography consistent across online platforms, requiring age checks for accessing adult material online, and making online platforms verify that every individual featured in the content on their platform is an adult and has given their consent for the content to be published. It also suggested a comprehensive government review of laws on pornography and obscenity.

These interrelated worries are what have prompted a number of British legislators to call for immediate action.