JERSEY should follow a UK ban on pornographic content that depicts sexual violence, a campaigner has said.
Suzie Mahe, a rape and domestic abuse survivor who waived her right to lifetime anonymity in 2024 to campaign for women’s rights in Jersey, said that the government “must ask itself whether its laws and protections adequately reflect the seriousness of these issues”.
The UK’s new rules were prompted by a 2025 review into porn regulation, which found that depictions of choking were “rife” on the internet.
Ms Mahe said: “We cannot continue to allow violence to be packaged as entertainment, commercialised for profit and then ignore the potential consequences for society.
“As a survivor of rape, domestic abuse, coercive control and non-fatal strangulation, and someone who has campaigned for stronger protections for survivors in Jersey, I know first-hand that the reality of violence is far removed from what is portrayed on screen.
“Strangulation is not harmless, and sexual violence is not entertainment for the people who experience its devastating consequences.”
Ms Mahe added that violence presented as normal, desirable or pleasurable risks desensitised people to abuse, “blurring the lines between consent, control and violence”.
Under the new stricter regulations on pornographic content, the UK government has banned possessing or publishing porn which shows strangulation or choking, depicts sexual activity between people who are related or shows adults role-playing as children under 16 in England and Wales. The new rules come into force on 6 November.
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny panel last year found the Island’s online safety system left young people more exposed than their UK peers.
The UK Online Safety Act, which requires age verification for harmful content, forces social media companies to remove it and gives OFCOM – the media regulator – the ability to fine social media companies, came into force last year in the UK.
Drafting is under way on legislation to require the removal of harmful online content, with consultation expected in 2027. An consultation on the proposals closed in March this year which found that 80% of people would be in favour of stronger online rights.
However, Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham could not confirm this week if new legislation around online safety would come be in place before the end of 2026. In response to a written States question, Senator Farnham said that the ministerial legislative programme is “still being finalised”.
While access to harmful content across ages might contribute to violence against women and girls, Ms Mahe said this was one side of the story and education and support needed to improve, adding: “We cannot keep talking about protecting women and girls while failing to challenge the attitudes and messages that can contribute to violence being normalised.
“Prevention, education, accountability and meaningful protections for survivors must all be part of the response.”
