Sexual and physical abuse in France’s porn industry is “systemic” and lawmakers should better regulate the production of videos and protect children who are “heavily exposed” to the content, according to a French senate inquiry, reports The Guardian.
The report, titled Hell Behind the Scenes, was the first prepared for the French parliament to focus on the porn industry, which the authors described as “predatory”.
During six months of research, the senate’s delegation for women’s rights and gender equality heard from more than 50 people involved in the industry, women’s rights activists and alleged victims.
“Both the actual volume of pornographic contents accessible to all and their very nature have contributed to make violent sexual acts against women banal,” the report’s authors wrote. “Sexual, physical and verbal abuses are widespread in porn, making them systemic. They are not simulated but very real for the women who are being filmed.”
A police investigation into alleged rape, human trafficking and pimping in France’s porn industry has called attention to abuse in the business. Dozens of alleged victims have come forward in two separate cases linked to a large video platform and France’s leading amateur porn site.