“White Ribbon Against Pornography” Week
By Susan Hoffert
Each year Morality in Media (www.moralityinmedia.org) seeks to bring attention to the nation’s pornography plague through White Ribbon Against Pornography Week (WRAP). This year WRAP began Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 7. During this time concerned citizens are urged to display white ribbons in support of this public awareness campaign.
Among the many cultural battlefields in our nation, pornography is often forgotten; yet casualties including women and children are mounting at an unprecedented rate. Consider these statistics from a number of sources:
Every year the pornography industry spits out 11,000 new porn movies, far more than Hollywood’s annual output of 400 mainstream movies.
Every month 66% of men ages 18-34 visit one or more of the 40,000 plus porn sites on the internet.
Every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography.
Ninety-six percent of juvenile sex offenders have viewed x-rated materials.
Ninety percent of porn is violent, fueling violent sexual crimes.
Hardcore porn users are six times more likely to rape.
Eighty-three percent of rapists and sixty-seven percent of child molesters consume hardcore pornography at high rates.
A man using porn nearly doubles the odds he will sexually assault his partner.
For a long while pornography was thought to be a victimless crime, but now research is indicating many terrible consequences: family break-up in high numbers; an increase in sex trafficking; violent sexual crimes against women and children.
Concerned citizens can re-sensitize their communities and our nation about obscenity, which is the legal term for prosecutable pornography. Everything needed to become informed regarding the spread and harm of pornography can be found at www.pornharms.com, a site founded by Pat Trueman, an attorney who has worked with the Department of Justice in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and a recognized expert in all matters related to pornography, child sexual exploitation, sex trafficking and indecency.
Help for pornography addiction can be found at: www.purelifeministries.org serving Christian individuals and organizations; www.provenmen.org biblical resources aimed at bringing lasting change into lives of men dealing with pornography addiction; www.pureintimacy.org offering many helpful resources including a number to speak to a counselor, 1-800-232-6459; www.theporneffect.com helpful, practical and free resources, along with information on how to beat porn addiction, videos, inspirational stories of those who have become porn-free.
Perhaps we could wear white ribbons all year long to bring attention to this scourge on our culture, and then inform ourselves and take action to restore decency in the media.
Hoffert is a Rugby resident.