Latest news with #DomesticAbuseActof2021
The Independent
01-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
More than a quarter of domestic abuse services turning children away due to funding shortages
Over a quarter of domestic abuse services are having to turn children in need of support away, amid warnings that severe funding shortages are putting victims at risk. The family violence watchdog has warned that child victims of domestic abuse are being left with nowhere to turn as vital services struggle to stay afloat. A new report from the domestic abuse commissioner has found 27 per cent of domestic abuse services surveyed in England and Wales are having to turn children away due to rising demand and a lack of funding. Meanwhile, over half said they had to place children on waiting lists due to the high number of referrals - potentially leaving children waiting for help in unsafe situations. The survey - which drew on over 260 domestic abuse services providing support to children and 168 statutory agencies responsible for commissioning domestic abuse services - also found that 56 per cent of services had experienced cuts to funding over the past five years. In light of the findings, domestic abuse commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs called on the government to address the concerns in its upcoming spending review. 'For too long child victims of domestic abuse have been failed – often treated as an afterthought and left to navigate their recovery alone which is having devastating consequences on their health, education, relationships – and futures. This has to change,' Dame Nicole said. 'Providing children with the stability and support they need to recover – and thrive – is vital if the government wants to meet its commitment to halve violence against women and girls within the decade.' Women's Aid said the report has highlighted the 'critical underfunding' and 'stretched capacity' of domestic abuse services for children across England and Wales. 'While the findings of the report are alarming, Women's Aid are, sadly, not surprised by this information,' Nikki Bradley MBE , Director of Services at Women's Aid, said. Ms Bradley added: ' Domestic abuse has a profound impact on the mental wellbeing and physical safety of children, which can have long-lasting effects if they are not given the proper support they need to heal and move forward. 'As the Commissioner's report finds, specialist support, which is centred around children and their needs, plays an essential role in reducing the impact of domestic abuse on children, and allow them to not only live, but to thrive after abuse.' Domestic abuse has a profound impact on the mental wellbeing and physical safety of children Nikki Bradley MBE , Director of Services at Women's Aid Children have been legally recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right rather than just witnesses since the Domestic Abuse Act of 2021 - but the commissioner warned this has not translated into funding for children's services. Domestic abuse charity Refuge estimates that a staggering one in five children in the UK have lived with an adult perpetrating domestic abuse, while NSPCC reported a 19 per cent rise in contacts about concerns for children experiencing domestic abuse between April 2024 and September 2024, compared to the same period the previous year. Refuge CEO, Gemma Sherrington, said 52 per cent of the residents in their refuge accommodation were children in 2023-204, adding that the impact of domestic abuse on children 'can be particularly significant'. She said: 'The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 rightly recognised that children are victims in their own right, but as the Domestic Abuse Commissioner's report reiterates, this has not yet translated into sustainable funding for children's services. 'A lack of funding means Refuge's services often rely on precarious, short-term grants for children and young people's workers, who are crucial in delivering the support children need and deserve to rebuild their lives.' The Independent has contacted the government for comment.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ban online porn that would be illegal on high street, urges Tory peer
Harmful online porn that would be illegal on the high street should be banned, a government review of the industry has said. The review, commissioned by Rishi Sunak and published on Thursday, found that violent, harmful and misogynistic porn was common on mainstream platforms. However, the material would be judged as illegal and refused classification by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) if it was sold in shops on the high street, according to the review by Baroness Bertin, a Tory peer. She said: 'This means that if this content was distributed in physical form (for example, in DVDs), the person supplying the material would face criminal charges, including a prison sentence of up to two years under the Video Recordings Act 1984. 'This disparity between the online and 'offline' world cannot continue. Pornographic content that would be refused classification in the 'offline' world should not be available to view online.' She suggested that such a ban could be introduced through a safe porn code in the Online Safety Act or by creating a new publication offence. Her report said: 'The aim of this would be to prohibit certain pornographic content online – including degrading, violent and misogynistic content, as well as that which could encourage an interest in child sex abuse – just as it is prohibited in the 'offline' world.' Making it illegal would also mean mainstream online platforms – the worst of which for porn is Elon Musk's X – would be required by law to remove it and prevent it appearing online. If they persistently failed to take it down, Ofcom, the online regulator, would have powers to impose fines of up to 10 per cent of their global turnover – and to jail executives for up to two years if they failed to abide by the watchdog's demands. Lady Bertin also recommended that non-fatal strangulation pornography – commonly known as 'choking' – should be illegal to possess, distribute and publish. She said it was the starkest example of where online violent pornography had changed 'offline' behaviour. ''Choking' sex is now being normalised, with a survey showing 38 per cent of women aged 18-39 have been choked during sex,' she added. She noted that the Domestic Abuse Act of 2021 had made non-fatal strangulation a crime in itself, so that the definition of extreme illegal pornography needed to clearly state that it fell within its scope. Lady Bertin also recommended that incest pornography should be made illegal and that content that might encourage an interest in child sex abuse should be prohibited. 'Some online pornographic content depicts disturbing 'role-play' including incest and adults role playing as children – evidence shows that this type of pornography is used by perpetrators to permit child sex abuse. This is totally unacceptable,' she said. Writing for The Telegraph, Natasha Kaplinsky, the president of the BBFC, said: 'This is not about restricting adults' access to legal content: where pornographic content is neither illegal nor harmful, adults have a right to choose what to watch. 'This is about content that eroticises rape and the violent abuse of women or which promotes a sexual interest in children. 'Parity between how pornographic content is regulated online and offline is vitally important. If society is serious about addressing the fundamental challenge of harmful content, we must ensure that what is unacceptable offline is also unacceptable online.' The Department for Science Innovation and Technology has said it will respond to the recommendations once they have been laid before Parliament. Measures to increase regulation of pornography, including to prevent access by children, are already part of the Online Safety Act, which became law in October 2023. Services that publish their own pornographic content – including with generative artificial intelligence tools – are already required to have age checks. From July, all websites on which pornographic material can be found must also introduce 'robust' age-checking techniques such as demanding photo ID or running credit card checks for UK users. Ofcom estimates that approximately a third of adult internet users in the UK – 14 million people – watch online pornography, of which about three-quarters are men. By Natasha Kaplinsky Choking. Incest. Violent abuse. This is just some of the harmful pornographic content that is freely available online. Such material would never be approved for distribution on physical media formats like DVD and Blu-ray – what we call 'offline'. The BBFC has been classifying offline pornographic content for 40 years and our position has always been the same: pornography is for adults only. And, we are legally required to refuse classification of any content which is illegal or potentially harmful. Adult content we consider harmful includes any pornography which depicts non-consensual or sexually abusive activity or which encourages an interest in abusive relationships – such as incestuous or underage relationships. We also refuse to classify the depiction of any acts likely to cause serious physical harm, such as 'choking'. Unclassified pornography is illegal to distribute offline and a retailer convicted of selling such content could face a prison sentence under the Video Recordings Act 1984. However, legislation has not kept pace with how pornography is primarily consumed today. The BBFC's statutory remit covers content published offline but there are no equivalent protections online, where this appalling content remains freely available. Whenever I have a conversation with a fellow parent, we invariably share our fears about our children growing up in a society where unfettered access to violent pornography has become normalised. Today there is reason for hope. The Government has published the findings of an independent pornography review, led over the past year by Baroness Bertin. The review has found this content, and its influence, to be deep-rooted in society; its harm potential, abundant. Lady Bertin recommends that violent and abusive pornography online should be treated as illegal content. It also calls for a body such as the BBFC to take on an auditing role to ensure that online platforms do not carry any such material. I welcome Lady Bertin's report and the BBFC will work with the Government on the recommendations in any way we can, including by taking on a formal auditing role to better protect audiences online. This would be a natural extension of the offline role we have fulfilled for decades. This is not about restricting adults' access to legal content: where pornographic content is neither illegal nor harmful, adults have a right to choose what to watch. This is about content that eroticises rape and the violent abuse of women or which promotes a sexual interest in children. Parity between how pornographic content is regulated online and offline is vitally important. If society is serious about addressing the fundamental challenge of harmful content, we must ensure that what is unacceptable offline is also unacceptable online. Natasha Kaplinsky is the president of the British Board of Film Classification Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ban online porn that would be illegal on high street, urges Tory peer
Harmful online porn that would be illegal on the high street should be banned, a government review of the industry has said. The review, commissioned by Rishi Sunak and published on Thursday, found that violent, harmful and misogynistic porn was common on mainstream platforms. However, the material would be judged as illegal and refused classification by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) if it was sold in shops on the high street, according to the review by Baroness Bertin, a Tory peer. She said: 'This means that if this content was distributed in physical form (for example, in DVDs), the person supplying the material would face criminal charges, including a prison sentence of up to two years under the Video Recordings Act 1984. 'This disparity between the online and 'offline' world cannot continue. Pornographic content that would be refused classification in the 'offline' world should not be available to view online.' She suggested that such a ban could be introduced through a safe porn code in the Online Safety Act or by creating a new publication offence. Her report said: 'The aim of this would be to prohibit certain pornographic content online – including degrading, violent and misogynistic content, as well as that which could encourage an interest in child sex abuse – just as it is prohibited in the 'offline' world.' Making it illegal would also mean mainstream online platforms – the worst of which for porn is Elon Musk's X – would be required by law to remove it and prevent it appearing online. If they persistently failed to take it down, Ofcom, the online regulator, would have powers to impose fines of up to 10 per cent of their global turnover – and to jail executives for up to two years if they failed to abide by the watchdog's demands. 'Choking' porn changing real-world behaviour Lady Bertin also recommended that non-fatal strangulation pornography – commonly known as 'choking' – should be illegal to possess, distribute and publish. She said it was the starkest example of where online violent pornography had changed 'offline' behaviour. ''Choking' sex is now being normalised, with a survey showing 38 per cent of women aged 18-39 have been choked during sex,' she added. She noted that the Domestic Abuse Act of 2021 had made non-fatal strangulation a crime in itself, so that the definition of extreme illegal pornography needed to clearly state that it fell within its scope. Lady Bertin also recommended that incest pornography should be made illegal and that content that might encourage an interest in child sex abuse should be prohibited. 'Some online pornographic content depicts disturbing 'role-play' including incest and adults role playing as children – evidence shows that this type of pornography is used by perpetrators to permit child sex abuse. This is totally unacceptable,' she said. Writing for The Telegraph, Natasha Kaplinsky, the president of the BBFC, said: 'This is not about restricting adults' access to legal content: where pornographic content is neither illegal nor harmful, adults have a right to choose what to watch. 'This is about content that eroticises rape and the violent abuse of women or which promotes a sexual interest in children. 'Parity between how pornographic content is regulated online and offline is vitally important. If society is serious about addressing the fundamental challenge of harmful content, we must ensure that what is unacceptable offline is also unacceptable online.' The Department for Science Innovation and Technology has said it will respond to the recommendations once they have been laid before Parliament. Measures to increase regulation of pornography, including to prevent access by children, are already part of the Online Safety Act, which became law in October 2023. Services that publish their own pornographic content – including with generative artificial intelligence tools – are already required to have age checks. From July, all websites on which pornographic material can be found must also introduce 'robust' age-checking techniques such as demanding photo ID or running credit card checks for UK users. Ofcom estimates that approximately a third of adult internet users in the UK – 14 million people – watch online pornography, of which about three-quarters are men. The law has not kept pace with pornography's evolution – we must ensure parity on and offline By Natasha Kaplinsky Choking. Incest. Violent abuse. This is just some of the harmful pornographic content that is freely available online. Such material would never be approved for distribution on physical media formats like DVD and Blu-ray – what we call 'offline'. The BBFC has been classifying offline pornographic content for 40 years and our position has always been the same: pornography is for adults only. And, we are legally required to refuse classification of any content which is illegal or potentially harmful. Adult content we consider harmful includes any pornography which depicts non-consensual or sexually abusive activity or which encourages an interest in abusive relationships – such as incestuous or underage relationships. We also refuse to classify the depiction of any acts likely to cause serious physical harm, such as 'choking'. Unclassified pornography is illegal to distribute offline and a retailer convicted of selling such content could face a prison sentence under the Video Recordings Act 1984. However, legislation has not kept pace with how pornography is primarily consumed today. The BBFC's statutory remit covers content published offline but there are no equivalent protections online, where this appalling content remains freely available. Whenever I have a conversation with a fellow parent, we invariably share our fears about our children growing up in a society where unfettered access to violent pornography has become normalised. Today there is reason for hope. The Government has published the findings of an independent pornography review, led over the past year by Baroness Bertin. The review has found this content, and its influence, to be deep-rooted in society; its harm potential, abundant. Lady Bertin recommends that violent and abusive pornography online should be treated as illegal content. It also calls for a body such as the BBFC to take on an auditing role to ensure that online platforms do not carry any such material. I welcome Lady Bertin's report and the BBFC will work with the Government on the recommendations in any way we can, including by taking on a formal auditing role to better protect audiences online. This would be a natural extension of the offline role we have fulfilled for decades. This is not about restricting adults' access to legal content: where pornographic content is neither illegal nor harmful, adults have a right to choose what to watch. This is about content that eroticises rape and the violent abuse of women or which promotes a sexual interest in children. Parity between how pornographic content is regulated online and offline is vitally important. If society is serious about addressing the fundamental challenge of harmful content, we must ensure that what is unacceptable offline is also unacceptable online.
