The ‘October 9 Declaration’ and the resulting ‘Three Point Plan’ were confirmed by unanimous decision as urgent action points to turn back the tide of sex trafficking and the exploitation of women and children in the current highly sexualised society.
The Strategic Roundtable produced the following Three Point Plan as part of an overall call for action.
1. Clean feed option - free of pornography at ISP level - for every Australian home
2. Prevent sexploitation of women and children - educate about harmful effects of porn
3. Enforce existing legislation to curb the proliferation of pornography and sex trafficking
Donny Pauling, former Porn Producer from the USA addressed the Strategic Roundtable on the damaging effects of porn on the women involved in its production and on those who consume it. He also testified on the similarities between recruiting for porn and recruiting for sex trafficking. If anyone can educate about the reality of porn, Donny Pauling can. He started producing porn in 1997 and by the time he’d given it up, he’d recruited over 500 college girls into the industry and had become a regular provider of content to some of the ‘big names’ in the industry.
Warwick Marsh called for a minute’s silence at the Strategic Roundtable to remember the tragic murder of Jill Meagher, 29 years old, in Melbourne. Jill was sexually assaulted and murdered near her home in Brunswick in the early hours of Saturday morning, 22 September 2012. Warwick Marsh from Dads4Kids helped to organise the Strategic Roundtable on “Pornography and the Increase in Sex Trafficking” along with Jason Huxley of “Go for Greatness”.
Mr Marsh said, “The shocking rape and murder of Jill Meagher in Melbourne has highlighted the need for action to turn the tide of pornography, which incites violence against women. The Premier of Victoria is right. We have to do something about the culture of violence against women which is pervading our society. To do something about the sexual violence we have to do something about pornography. Sexual assault has increased 38% in the fourteen years between 1993 and 2007. The time has come for action. Our common goal is a safe world for Australia’s women and children free of hate and violence. Let’s put Australia’s women and children first and reject the inherent misogyny of porn”.
