CNA Staff, May 5, 2020 / 15:14 pm
With pornographic website traffic spiking while countries remain on lockdown, the bishops of the United States are urging the Justice Department to protect victims of human trafficking and exploitation by enforcing obscenity laws and prosecuting producers of violent pornography.
"We write to you today to urge you to confront the ongoing harms wrought by the pornography industry and to protect its victims," the U.S. bishops wrote in an April 30 letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
"This should include enforcement of obscenity laws, investigation of pornography producers and website owners for criminality, national leadership in encouraging states and localities to develop rigorous policies against the industry and in the service of survivors, and more."
The bishops noted that pornography juggernaut Pornhub has made waves in the past few months by offering free "premium" subscriptions to its content to people in countries on lockdown during the pandemic.