5 things to know about sexual exploitation in the US, worldwide
3. Normalization of pornography
In an interview with The Christian Post, NCOSE CEO Dawn Hawkins said one of the reasons she believes the issue of sexual exploitation has become so prevalent in the United States is because of the proliferation of hardcore pornography. She also cited what she sees as the normalization of commodifying people and using them for sex as another reason.
“Pornography today has created a sexual taste for sex with children, and that's such a huge problem that we have not confronted well enough over the last 20 years,” Hawkins said, adding that laws like Section 230 have only helped provide immunity to Big Tech and other platforms that host or promote pornographic content.
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The law, enacted in 1996, protects online platforms from legal liability for the content posted on their sites. Hawkins called for changing the laws regarding sexual exploitation, warning that “things will get so much worse” otherwise.
Another issue Hawkins brought up is the lack of a federal law requiring websites to verify users' age, even though some parts of the country have enacted laws at the state level. The NCOSE CEO said that anti-sexual exploitation advocates must continue pushing for a federal law concerning age verification.
Hawkins highlighted the SCREEN Act, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, that would require age verification at the federal level. The advocate stated that NCOSE intends to support the bill.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
