UN Special Rapporteur: Porn Violates Human Rights

UN Special Rapporteur: Porn Violates Human Rights

GENEVA — Fervent anti-sex work activist Reem Alsalem, a special rapporteur on violence against women and girls at the United Nations Human Rights Council, asserted in an interview this week that pornography represents a “gross human rights violation.”

Alsalem, who last year wrote a report for the Council titled “Prostitution and Violence Against Women and Girls,” told the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) that pornography constitutes “filmed prostitution.”

“It has the same perpetrators of violence,” she says in the interview. “The same exploitation, the same consequences in terms of all forms of violence inflicted on women and girls, in terms of being exploited by pimps, in terms of also having immense harmful impact on all society, including, I would say, men and boys, younger girls, and harmful to gender equality overall in society.”

She goes on to claim — with no supporting evidence — that the vast majority of pornography is grotesque, degrading and violent.

“Normalizing consuming pornography has become an issue that is an epidemic as well, on global proportions,” she adds.

As XBIZ reported, sex worker groups and activists traveled to Geneva last year to denounce Alsalem’s stigmatizing report, in which she rejected the term “sex work.”

“The term wrongly depicts prostitution as an activity as worthy and dignified as any other work,” Alsalem wrote. “It fails to take into account the serious human rights violations that characterize the prostitution system and ‘gaslights’ victims and their experiences.”

In the interview with ECLJ, Alsalem claims that the “glamorization” of porn and the “discourse that it is empowering” lead to the exploitation of women. She also argues that free speech protections should not apply to pornography, erroneously claiming that watching porn is a common precursor to physical violence.

“Often the consumption of pornography leads to violence in real life,” she contends, again without providing evidence. 

Performer and Free Speech Coalition Industry Relations Advocate Lotus Lain, who spoke in front of the Council in 2023 about sex workers' rights, took issue with Alsalem's characterization.

"This type of dismissive statement from people who lived a sheltered life of diplomacy, higher education and access to a type of job security that many of us in the sex trade are not afforded really speaks to the nature of their bias," Lain told XBIZ. "They never agree to meet with anyone that has lived experienced outside of the trauma porn narrative of the sex industry that they would like to push.

"I would implore the UN special rapporteur to make time to actually meet with, rather than avoid and listen to, rather than talk over, those of us in the sex industries that have used our overexposed platforms to champion the voices of the marginalized and challenge existing power structures that do more harm to the so-called women she purports to have concern for."

Speaking last year in response to Alsalem’s report, sex workers’ rights activist Kholi Buthelezi of the South Africa-based Sisonke National Sex Workers Rights Movement strongly countered Alsalem’s position that anyone working in prostitution or pornography is automatically being exploited.

“Saying we are ‘commodities of men’ is hurtful,” Buthelezi said. “It confuses trafficking with sex work and uses the code of feminist women and girls.” 

Buthelezi condemned Alsalem’s attitude as demeaning and warned that it is actively dangerous to sex workers.

“We need the feminist movement to come on board,” she said. “Our lives continue to be in danger.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More