The news of porn websites being banned in India has caused an uproar across the Internet and online universe. Several twitter handles, blogs, websites and writers have expressed their discontent citing it to be another ban that interferes with the choices and freedom of expression.
However, there’s a dark side to the the porn industry and the websites you want to be unblocked.
The leaked ‘MMS’ that results in a suicide
Several porn websites feast on MMS clips shot by hidden cameras. The intimate moments one shares in a hotel room or the changing room clips shot secretly often make way to such websites and are circulated.
The incidents of revenge porn by ex-partners is not alien to the country. Every now and then there’s a story of a suicide or a girl being shamed in the society owing to a leaked MMS clip that went viral through a porn website.
A recent incident: MMS on porn site, Orissa girl ends life
The girl whose video you enjoy watching on porn websites may no longer be alive or might be living a miserable life in depression unable to recover from such an incident.
Can you ignore the people forced into porn and their working conditions?
There’s more to the porn industry than what you watch on your laptops. Behind the cameras is the story of the exploitation and misery. While there are people who work in the porn industry willingly, there are numerous others – Women and children at a tender age forced in a never-ending misery of rapes, STDs, drugs and abuse.
Also read: Confessions of a porn star and ‘I Was Drugged And Forced To Do Porn‘
The portrayal of Male Domination
And, then is the content of the porn movies – a world of brutal sex, male domination and a sexual conquest where there’s no love and care. A world where a women is reduced to nothing but an object of sex and pleasure. While a ‘sexist’ remark from a politician enrages all of us, we seem to have no qualms in watching and circulating content that objectifies women in the worst possible manner.
Watch: A TEDx talks video – “Why I stopped watching porn?”
Why ban porn, why doesn’t the government ban Bla Bla Bla..?
The same logic applies to those protesting against this ban.
Why protest against porn ban, isn’t protesting against farmers not receiving optimum prices for their produce more important?
Why protest against porn ban, isn’t protesting against soft drink companies whose plants have sucked up the ground water leaving several villages water-deprived more important?
Why protest against porn ban, isn’t protesting against victims of natural disasters not being given enough compensation more important?
After all, a change in democracy starts with the people and not the government. If you want the government to Take steps, it starts with you protesting on issues which are more important than the ban on porn.
Is there a solution?
Yes, there is!
The government can make a new body that:
i .Keeps a check on every clip on a porn website to ensure that the website is featuring leaked MMSes or not
ii.Investigates the age of every actor in a porn movie to determine if he/she is an adult by age or not
iii. Reviews if a porn movie is objectifying women or not
iii. Investigates the history of every actor in a porn movie to ensure that he/she is acting in a porn movie out of personal choice and isn’t exploited and forced into pornography
But, do you want a country with millions of people living below the poverty line to spend its resources and taxpayers’ money to make sure that the porn you watch is ethical?
It is up to you to decide.