Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette thought it was crucial to cause a shock, to " break through the wall of indifference" surrounding the porn industry's sordid reality. Pierre-Brossolette is the president of the French High Council for Equality between Women and Men (HCE). Her report "Porno-criminality: Putting an end to the porn industry's impunity," has achieved that goal. The report, which is due to be officially handed over to Bérangère Couillard, the French minister for gender equality, on Wednesday September 27, paints a terrifying picture.

For over a year, the HCE's violence against women commission has been examining videos available to watch online. It organized a large number of hearings, reviewed existing literature and, in March, carried out a study of four pornography platforms (PornHub, Xhamster, Xvideos and Xnxx). More than 230 pages documented those investigations, accompanied by a warning from the HCE, which intends to "draw attention to the serious violations of human dignity and the serious consequences of the unlimited and illegal distribution of this sexual content."

The videos display physical violence, verbal aggression and, in many cases, acts of torture and barbarism. The vast majority of the content on offer is packed with images that are not only shocking and degrading for women but are also liable to criminal sanctions under French law, explained the HCE.

The advisory body, tasked with guiding government policy on equality issues, endorsed comments made by Laure Beccuau, the Paris public prosecutor. At a senate hearing in September 2022 on the first parliamentary report on the topic entitled "Behind the Scenes" ("L'envers du décor"), the judge said that "90% of pornographic content contains physical or verbal violence, and is therefore criminally reprehensible."

"Our report is intended to be an in-depth examination and extension of the Senate report," said Pierre-Brossolette.

A search on four sites distributing such content in France showed 70,118 videos under the keyword "surprise" and 13,898 under "torture." There were at least 1.4 million videos containing sadistic practices, including "women tortured by electrocution, women asphyxiated in plastic bags, women screaming in pain." What's happening in these videos, which can be accessed in just a few clicks, is not simulated. It is a " horrifying reality: A significant proportion of pornographic videos distributed are videos of filmed rapes, revenge porn, or have been obtained through coercion in sexual exploitation rings," the researchers reported. "Their suffering is perfectly visible and eroticized at the same time."

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