A women’s centre founded by JK Rowling is hosting a conference on the impact of internet pornography in the “epidemic” of violence against women.
Beira’s Place, in Edinburgh’s New Town, was founded and funded by the Harry Potter author to meet what she described as an “unmet need” for women after a row over transgender people in rape crisis centres.
The female-only service opened in December 2022 and has had 624 referrals so far, from over-16s in the Lothians who have experienced sexual violence.
The conference on Tuesday will examine the impact of internet pornography and social media influencers, and how this may be fuelling the increasing levels of reported violence and abuse experienced by young women, according to organisers.
Speakers include Michael Conroy, the director of Men At Work, an organisation which delivers professional training in supporting the healthy personal development of boys and young men.
Mr Conroy warned that trends originating from internet pornography included non-consensual strangulation, which he described as “worrying” and increasingly normalised.
Mary Sharpe, chief executive of The Reward Foundation, a relationship and sex education charity, will also speak and warned that internet pornography was “addictive” and could provide a gateway to criminality.
It is hoped the conference will spark “concrete ideas” for ways to tackle the issue and is part of a series of events, Unseen, Unheard, focused on violence against women.
Mr Conroy said: “It’s increasingly clear from working with a range of frontline professionals that boys and young men are having their expectations around sex and intimacy shaped by porn in harmful ways.
“So-called ‘choking’, or sexual strangulation, is a really worrying emerging feature of this influence and we have to do all we can to stop its normalisation.
“Unfortunately, there is evidence that some of that normalisation is coming from organisations who should know much better.”
Ms Sharpe said: “Internet pornography is one of the key drivers of the epidemic of violence against women and girls. It’s designed to be addictive.
“Some consumers escalate to violent porn and to child sexual abuse material. The good news is that when users quit porn the brain settles down and appreciation of women often improves.
“The multibillion-dollar porn industry has actively suppressed evidence of the many porn-related health risks. The Reward Foundation provides free, evidence-based training materials for schools, professionals and parents.”
Other speakers include national co-ordinator of the Women’s Support Project Linda Thompson, Dr Alison Scott, consultant gynaecologist in sexual health services, and nurse lead for the sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) Jessica Davidson MBE.
Founded and funded by JK Rowling, Beira’s Place employs 10 support workers.
Directors of Beira’s Place include former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and director of For Women Scotland Susan Smith.
Lesley Johnston, chief executive of Beira’s Place, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this conference and are thrilled to be platforming so many excellent speakers, all of whom have considerable experience and insights to share.
“We hope to leave attendees with ideas for concrete action that can be taken in order to address the impact of pornography on levels of violence against women.”
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